


The Maid Class

by ArminArlert



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Laslow/Azura, Leo/Charlotte, M/M, Niles has a helluva maid kink my guy, Odin/Nyx, also, also super brief mentions of, and probably more later - Freeform, more characters to be added as the story continues, rating will def go up as this shitshow goes on, stick around to find out kiddos, what fresh hell have I started writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-05-27 00:33:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6262264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArminArlert/pseuds/ArminArlert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After many battles, the Nohr battalion finally has a large enough variety of seals for everyone in the unit to upgrade to a new specialty class. Indecisive, Kamui allows his comrades to have first pick and is ultimately left with a Friendship Seal. Unaware of exactly what the seal entails, Kamui takes his chances and it works out really well... for Niles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lacier?

Today was an exciting day for the Nohr brigade.

Finally, after multiple arduous battles and scavenges, they'd collected plenty of seals in order to give everyone a fair shake at the opportunity to reclass themselves to become stronger and/or more specialized in a new area of interest.

Gathered outside Kamui's living quarters within Dragon's Gate, the small battalion conversed amongst themselves, mostly discussing which class they hoped to upgrade to.

Charlotte bragged about herself being able to upgrade to a Nohr Nobel due to her marriage to Lord Leo before Forrest reminded her that that was against the rules, to which Charlotte instantly deflated and claimed that she'd rather just be a Berserker anyway. 

Odin couldn't stop talking about jumping from Myrmidon to Trueblade with the help of a Master Seal, beyond excited at the prospect of being able to 'enhance his darker abilities.'

Dwyer was chatting with Seigbert about reclassing to a butler like his father, hoping to actually participate in fights to prove to Jakob that he wasn't just a lazy Troubadour, despite how true the statement may be.

Meanwhile, Kamui stood quietly off to the side, not joining in on the conversation but still excited by proxy due to how much everyone seemed to be looking forward to upgrading. He was so thankful that they'd been able to procure enough seals for everyone to reclass if they wanted to; after the rigorous battles they'd been having lately, it was the perfect pick-me-up that he knew they all desperately needed.

“And what will the dashing Prince Kamui be reclassing to today, hmm?”

The voice that ghosted by his pointed ear made him jump and whirl around, but his shoulders quickly lost their tension upon finding the rugged face of Leo's slightly-less-delusional retainer grinning back at him.

“Honestly, I'm not really sure,” Kamui shrugged with a smile in return. “I was just planning on letting everyone else take their turn and pick from what was left.”

Niles raised a brow, seeming to be a bit off-put by Kamui's response for reasons Kamui couldn't discern.

“But you're part of the bloodline,” Niles responded, crossing his arms. “You know royalty gets first choice, right?”

“Yes, I'm aware,” Kamui huffed. “I've already spoken with Xander. He was fine with me waiting to go last.”

“Wow,” Niles shook his head with a chuckle, regarding Kamui with an amused countenance. “Anyone else would jump at the chance to get to go first. You're really wasting your opportunity to get the pick of the litter, especially considering you've got the most options of any of us.”

“I'm not 'wasting' anything, I'm happy just letting everyone else get the seal they want. Even though we have enough for all of us to reclass once, we don't have enough of any of the seals for everybody to use the same one,” Kamui responded assuredly, though still feeling a bit self-conscious under Niles' calculating blue gaze.

After a moment, Niles seemed to accept the answer as he rolled his shoulders and mumbled something along the lines of 'suit yourself.'

Kamui, satisfied with the turnout, was about to go back to observing his friend's gregarious conversations before he was stopped by an arm wrapping around his shoulders.

“You know... you could always reclass to Adventurer,” Niles whispered near the apex of Kamui's ear. “I'd be glad to help you with that.”

Having Niles this close was like sidling up next to a campfire – he was just as warm as one and smelled akin to burning kindling. Speaking of which, Kamui could feel his whole face engulf in heat; he'd never been this close up to Niles before. 

Of course, Kamui had invited him several times to his quarters to bond, and he'd done his ritualistic petting and touching as he always does with his comrades, but with Niles, it was... different. Kamui tended to get much more flustered around the outlaw than he did around his other allies, and Niles absolutely relished in the attention, taking every opportunity to tease Kamui when he'd get embarrassed. The naturally lascivious side of Niles was, at first, something Kamui thought he'd get irritated by, but as time went along, he found it to be one of the many charming aspects of Leo's white-haired retainer. 

Kamui found that he liked Niles' flirty nature, appreciated his gumption in battle, empathized with his troubled childhood, and found solace in his company. Niles was intelligent and headstrong, a good friend and an even better partner to fight alongside. Needless to say, Kamui had grown increasingly fond of Niles and being this close to the man of his affection brought to his mind every impure fantasy about him that Kamui had tried to quash.

“I-I don't-” he was about to retort before he heard his eldest brother's booming voice echo from the front of the group.

“Okay, everyone,” Xander announced, Leo stationed to his left as the two faced their group of allies. “Today we'll be changing specialty classes. We all have room for improvement and we've enough Master, Partner, Heart, Friendship, and Child Seals for us all to trade. So, please form a single-file line starting behind Gunter and confer with Leo and myself before picking your seal.”

Thankful for the distraction, Kamui slipped from under Niles' arm, scurrying to the back of the line as the crowd culminated in some semblance of order. He was remiss to find that Niles had casually strolled to the back with him, smirking at Kamui in a way that he knew would get the little prince's fancy knickers in a twist.

“Wouldn't you rather be at the front of the line?” Kamui asked, tone colored with agitation. His face was still cooling off and Niles briefly considered commenting on how cute he thought the fact that Kamui blushed up to his ears was, but decided not to push it.

“Nah, I'm not sure which class I want to join,” Niles responded, taking his place behind Kamui. “Plus, I'm happy letting everyone else pick the seal they want first.”

Kamui, indignant, didn't even respond.

.:.

Fortunately for Kamui, the line moved at a fairly quick pace, with nearly everyone already confident with their choice of seal before they'd even reached the front of the line. Not to mention all of them had been able to successfully reclass with no squabbles pertaining to running out of a particular seal.

Kamui was still bringing up the rear of the group, though now only about five people away from his turn. Niles had been pretty quiet, much to his surprise, besides a few comments here and there about how ridiculous some of their comrades looked in their new specialty garb. 

Odin had come up to them after reclassing to Trueblade as promised, more ecstatic than they'd ever seen him. Kamui could tell that Niles desperately wanted to laugh and poke fun at his fellow retainer because, admittedly, Odin's new outfit was less... sleek than his old one, but Kamui was somewhat endeared to find that Niles was especially complementary and had quite amicable banter with him, not being rude beyond the typical Niles fair.

After Odin had gone about his way to talk to his wife, Nyx, Kamui turned to Niles with a grin. “That was uncharacteristically nice of you. I guess you are just a big softie, after all.”

“Hardly,” Niles scoffed back. “I have to share a barrack with the idiot and I'd rather he not try that freaky black magic shit on me while I sleep just because I insulted his dumbass costume.”

Despite Niles' crass way of putting it, Kamui understood his reasoning.

“Ahh, Lord Kamui, look!” Felicia bounded over to Kamui shortly after with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. “Look how amazing this outfit is! And I feel so much stronger!”

“It looks great!” Kamui returned the enthusiasm as Felicia clumsily twirled around in her new attire. Being by his side so long, it was no surprise that Felicia had come to show off her new prowess to Kamui first; they'd grown to be very close friends since she'd joined him in his fight to end the war, and he was thankful for her every step of the way. “Strategist, right?”

“Yes! I love it!” Felicia giggled, and with another sweep of her outfit she looked back to Kamui. “What class are you changing to?”

“Um, actually, I'm not sure yet,” Kamui said with a nervous scratch of his cheek.

“Oh, well, you should probably make a decision quickly, Lord Kamui. It's almost your turn and they're nearly out of seals!” Felicia warned. “The Master Seals ran out first and Selena just used the last Heart Seal. I think the only ones left are Friendship and Partner Seals.”

“That's not so bad. I'm not married, so I'm sure I'll be fine with whatever my Friendship Seal reclasses me to,” Kamui replied, self-assured, but Felicia didn't seem so confident. Instead, she awkwardly turned to Niles who'd been balefully eyeing their interaction the whole time. Feeling a shiver run through her, she felt the need to clear the air by addressing him.

Rocking back and forth on her new heels, Felicia timidly questioned, “W-what're you going to trade to?”

“Eh, not sure. Guess I don't have much choice either,” he responded, not unkindly. Maybe 'murderous intent' was just Niles' default expression, Felicia considered. 

Not wanting to stick around, Felicia noticed Elise appear in her new Bow Knight outfit and quickly rushed to her side to gush over their attire together, once again leaving Niles and Kamui to slowly make their way to the front of the line.

Laslow, who had been in front of them throughout the waiting process chatting with his wife, Azura, stepped forward, conversing with Leo and Xander before they handed him one of the Partner Seals.

“Looks like he'll be a Ninja,” Niles remarked as he watched Laslow become enveloped in the light of the activated seal. The glow dispersed quickly, leaving Laslow in a brand new uniform equipped with arm blades and throwing stars at his hip.

“Thank you, Lord Leo, Lord Xander,” Laslow said as he walked away, proudly examining his equipment and showing off his new look to Azura who giggled appreciatively.

“Your turn, princey,” Niles said after a moment, tapping Kamui's behind coquettishly. With a sharp yelp and a jump forward, Kamui found himself in front of a puzzled Xander and a glaring Leo who, he realized, was shooting daggers at Niles. Kamui threw a look back at Niles as well but the man simply smiled at him pseudo-encouragingly.

“Well, Kamui, since you decided to wait for the leftovers, the only option for you is a Friendship Seal,” Xander told his younger brother, opting to ignore the trio's antics. He reached into the box at his right side, pulling out a translucent golden sphere with a bright red core and handing it to Kamui.

“That's fine. I'm sure I'll be okay with whatever it is,” Kamui responded, receiving the seal from Xander.

Taking a deep breath, Kamui held the seal tightly between his hands, closing his eyes and tossing it into the air. He could feel the wind around him start to stir and a bright light burst in front of his eyelids, wrapping around him completely. The clothes currently on his body took on an airy feel and warped until they became what would be his new specialty garb.

Finally, the light around him faded and the wind settled, and the class change was complete.

The first thing Kamui noticed when he opened his eyes were the shocked, blushing faces of his brothers, and the absolutely entranced look Niles had.

The second thing he noticed was the way the crowd – previously humming with conversation – had gone silent, all turned his way and looking varying levels of surprised and scandalized.

The third thing he noticed was the oddly breezy feeling just below his waist.

Kamui was perplexed, turning back towards Xander. “What's-?”

“We need to have a meeting!” Xander suddenly shook himself out of his stupor, interrupting Kamui before the younger prince could question him. At Xander's behest, Leo quickstepped in front of Kamui, apparently shielding him from the crowd and at the same time ushering his confused brother to follow Xander up to Kamui's private quarters.

Once upstairs, Kamui stood before his siblings as they awkwardly avoided his eyes and muttered to themselves about things he couldn't quite make out. Kamui had decided on the way to his room that the hysterics were ostensibly something to do with his reclass assignment, but in the hustle to get him to his quarters, he hadn't had time to properly look at himself. He knew he felt much lighter and cooler and... lacier?

After a moment of deliberation, Kamui took a deep breath and stepped to where he could see himself in the full-length mirror, freezing in his tracks when he caught the first glimpse of himself. Xander must've noticed that Kamui had moved from his spot because he was standing in front of Kamui a moment later, blocking the younger prince's view of himself.

“L-listen, Kamui,” Xander began, and if Kamui wasn't so dazed, he may've commented on this being the first time he'd ever heard Xander stutter. “We don't know why this happened, but... you've been reclassed to a Maid.”


	2. Fuck Niles but also Fuck Niles amiright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamui accepts his calling as a maido and has lunch with his BBFL (best bro for life) Silas during which Niles comes to heck up their good time with his extraordinary bow-tying skills

Kamui had barely taken in what Xander had said, so nonplussed by what he had seen in the mirror.

“W-what-” his throat had gone dry, lips moving to form words but his mind still scrambling to create a sentence that made sense. He looked at Xander, eyebrows knitted. “Why?”

“Well...” Xander began, clearing his throat as the blush Kamui had seen overtake him before reappeared. He sidestepped so that Kamui once again had a full view of himself in all his lacy glory. “I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I expected you to reclass into a Nohr Noble, or at the very least, a Mage, but perhaps you aren't as close with Leo or I as I thought you were...”

Now that Kamui had had a moment to thoroughly examine himself, he was mortified not only because he'd just been seen in a maid ensemble by his entire legion, but also because he actually didn't look awful.

The dress, as it was mystically designed to contour to the wearer upon reclassing, hugged his body nicely and elegantly complemented his long legs and slim torso. Though fit, Kamui wasn't necessarily buff, and the trim lines of his arms and calves were accentuated beautifully by the frilled sleeves and bouncy skirt.

He looked... pretty.

Heat rose to his cheeks as he realized he'd just checked his own self out, and he pivoted on his heel to face Leo and Xander who still couldn't seem to meet his eyes.

“But I'm very close to you and Leo!” Kamui argued. “You are two of the most important people in my life besides Camilla and Elise. Besides, why does that matter?”

Both brothers seemed to swell with adoration when proclaimed to be so special to Kamui, but they quickly gave each other a cursory glace that seemed to communicate the same message.

“You must be very close with someone else other than us or your sisters – someone that's a Maid as a first or secondary class. The Friendship Seal acts on the bond between you and someone special to you and allows you to adopt a specialty of theirs,” Xander explained.

Kamui considered the idea for a moment, mulling over his friends, and it didn't take him long to realize the culprit.

“Oh, Gods,” Kamui relented, slapping a hand to his forehead. “Felicia.”

“Felicia?” Leo started, surprise coloring his tone. “The servant girl? You've been cavorting with her?”

“I haven't been 'cavorting' with anyone, Leo,” Kamui huffed, crossing his arms haughtily – his outfit bounced with the movement. “Felicia has been my best friend since the day I left home, and even before then she was always there to take care of me – she even saved my life once. It's only natural that I'd be close with her.”

“Still,” Leo continued, affronted, “I'm surprised you've apparently gotten so familiar with her that she's caused you to... change so much.”

“Well, I didn't particularly ask for this,” Kamui replied, holding up his skirt in a semi-curtsey to make his point. He almost laughed when Leo's cheeks once again reddened and he glanced away.

“Regardless,” Xander interrupted, tired of the back-and-forth, “you're stuck this way until we can get another Master or Heart Seal. Unfortunately the only seals we have left are the Partner and Friendship Seals, and we can't take the chance of wasting another Friendship Seal just for you to stay as you are.”

Kamui's shoulders sagged, his gaze dropping to the floor. 

“They've probably lost all respect for me...” 

“Who do you mean?”

“Everyone!” Kamui interjected. “They all saw me like this! They'll never take orders from me after this debacle...”

“Kamui-”

“Xander, you take over as leader. Effective immediately. I'm just going to wait it out in my room until the group finds a seal to change my class, so at least then maybe I'll have a chance to-”

“Kamui!” Xander stopped him, and his authoritative voice caused Kamui to jump, his whole outfit moving with the motion. “I'm not letting you step down as leader just because of a miscalculation. You're not any less of a capable commander now than you were ten minutes ago. Leo and I will take care of explaining the situation and if anyone has an issue with you, they'll be excused from the army, simple as that.”

Kamui's eyes glistened at the reassurance, and he realized Xander was right; he was still fully capable of leading a battalion, even while wearing a dress that barely covered his ass and frilly thigh-highs and lacy cuffs and... was he wearing panties?

Kamui shifted from one foot to the other.

Holy shit. Definitely panties.

.:.

“So... You still have to wear the outfit?”

Kamui – after being assured by his brothers that there were no qualms amongst his comrades about his new class – had timidly decided to venture out of his quarters to get lunch with Silas as they so often did. He'd asked Xander to escort him to the cafeteria just in case, but he'd surprisingly made it the whole way with only minor discomfort due to the blatant stares directed his way from his male and female companions alike. Xander had done well to ward off the gazes that lingered too long, but most of his allies he'd come across only gawked for a moment and then continued on their way with no comment.

Upon meeting Silas, the knight had reacted predictably – lots of stuttering, red cheeks, avoided eye contact, the works. He'd gotten more relaxed the longer he'd sat across from Kamui as they had their meal, but Kamui would still catch him staring a bit too long at the heart adornment that decorated the center of his torso, or the puffiness of his sleeves, or the frills that hemmed his collar. It wasn't as embarrassing for Kamui as he'd expected it to be – after the initial blurb of awkwardness was out of the way, he was comfortable just chatting with Silas and having a peaceful lunch after such an eventful morning.

“Yes, I do,” Kamui replied, having another sip of his broth. “It's a part of the class. I'm only allowed to use daggers and staves and – similarly – am only allowed to dress in... well, dresses. It's a bit of a silly requirement, honestly, but I wouldn't want to underperform as a result of a bit of prudishness. The battles are getting tougher and tougher and I certainly wouldn't want to let any of you down.”

“You'd never let us down, Kamui!” Silas assured forcefully, soup trembling as he rocked the table. “You've done more for the army than any of us – we'll never forget how much you've sacrificed to lead us to where we are now.”

Kamui smiled at his friend, thankful for the extra motivation from someone who didn't have familial obligation to encourage him. 

“I hope you're right, Silas,” Kamui replied, cheeks dusted pink and smile genuine. “Thank you for becoming a knight just to find me again. I'm really glad you're here.”

Silas nearly choked on the soup he'd just inhaled, coughing and wheezing around assuring Kamui that he wasn't dying – though his heart had almost stopped at that confession. Kamui was more dangerous now than ever.

“Listen, Kamui,” Silas began after he'd regained his composure. “I know you can take care of yourself, but... just... be careful, okay?”

Kamui tilted his head with a puzzled expression. 

“What do you mean?”

“Just- I don't know how to explain it...” Silas pondered for a moment, watching with renewed interest as Kamui brought another spoonful of broth to his lips. “Um, just... be careful around the guys, okay? We're all pretty much friends around here, but you know how they can be sometimes. Especially Niles...”

It was Kamui's turn to choke on his soup. Though not as violent, Kamui had to take an extra gulp of water to keep himself from hacking.

“Y-you don't have to worry about me, Silas,” Kamui admonished once he'd recovered. “I'll be careful.”

“Good,” Silas responded with a smile.

Their amiable conversation drifted from topic to topic, sometimes focusing on the battles they had and the ones they anticipated, the items they'd found and the weapons they planned to forge, as well as more trivial things like who Kamui was intending to invite to his quarters that evening and when their next luncheon would be.

“Do you want anything else? I'm going to get an extra piece of bread,” Kamui offered after a while of chatting, making a move to stand. Silas was about to respond before he noticed that the bow holding the apron of Kamui's outfit together was caught under a splinter of wood, threatening to tug loose.

“Kamui, your-” before Silas could warn him, the apron strings had come undone and fluttered to Kamui's sides, hanging loosely astride his hips.

“Ah, stupid bow,” Kamui said, aggravation tainting his voice. He sat down his empty plate that he'd been planning to take up to the lunch counter, reaching around his back to attempt to tie the bow back together, but it was obvious that he was struggling. He couldn't get the loop right – every time he tried to intertwine them, they'd slip through his fingers. Turning towards Silas who seemed to be wholly invested in Kamui's actions, he asked, “Um, Silas, could you try to help me?”

Silas started at the request, cheeks heating immediately at the thought of being close enough behind Kamui to tie the bow on his maid outfit – which he still wasn't completely registering as a real thing that Kamui was actually wearing. Regardless, on his honor as a knight, he stood dutifully, moving behind Kamui and taking the white ribbons in his hands.

“U-um, I'm not really, uh, sure what I'm doing?” Silas admitted, totally unversed in the art of bow tying. It wasn't helping matters that, this close, he could tell how nice Kamui smelled, and how glossy his hair was, and how wonderfully the seal had designed the maid dress to fit the prince's body shape. “I-I don't really know how well it'll turn out, but I'll try...”

Try he did. But the bow that resulted was little more than a tangled knot of white string that resembled nothing close to the pretty adornment that it was before. Kamui couldn't see it very well from where he was standing, but he could tell from how tightly it constricted around his pelvis that it probably wasn't the most attractive sight in the world.

“That's okay, Silas, I can probably get Felicia to redo it later,” Kamui reassured him, turning around to face him and giving a short laugh. “I just didn't want to trip over them.”

Silas seemed to be about to return the gesture when his eyes suddenly caught sight of something behind his friend that he apparently wasn't too happy about seeing – his face had turned stern and his shoulders had tensed, looking as if he was about to spring forward and attack at any moment.

“Silas? What's-?”

“Good evening, Prince Kamui,” a suave voice greeted, cutting him off, and Kamui immediately recognized who it belonged to. Whirling around, Kamui was met with the stunning blue eye of the man he'd not seen since Xander and Leo had drug him off the scene of the crime. He briefly thought back to how throughly shocked Niles had looked when he'd first seen Kamui in this state – it was an expression he'd never seen on the outlaw before, and he still couldn't decide whether it had been a look of disgust or merely surprise.

“Hello, Niles,” Silas' poison tone was enough to break Kamui out of his reverie, blinking as he saw Niles briefly shift his gaze up to the prince's friend who was glaring openly at the white-haired man.

“Oh, hey... Cyan? Sorry, I always forget your name,” Niles responded coyly, thrilled to be able to rile up the knight. His gaze shifted back to focus solely on Kamui. “Plus, I was a little distracted.”

Kamui blushed, but Niles didn't have time to appreciate it because Silas was quick to step in front of the prince, crossing his arms.

“Why are you here?” Silas questioned in a no-nonsense tone.

“Here? You mean the lunch hall? At lunch time? Gee, it sure is a mystery...” Niles rolled his one visible eye, and he could tell that Silas was taking the bait, getting steadily more cross. “Why don't we ask Prince Kamui? Excuse me, Prince, but me and Silas were just wondering-”

“Would you stop heckling him and just go eat lunch?” Silas blurted, arms unfolding and back straightening to his full height. He still wasn't as tall – or intimidating, admittedly – as Niles, but Kamui knew that Silas could be scary when he wanted to be, and now was apparently one of those times.

“Look, don't ruffle your feathers, okay, I was just teasing you,” Niles reconciled, diffusing a bit of the tension, but Silas wasn't backing down. “I really did just come here to get lunch, but then I happened to notice that atrocity you tried to pass off as a bow and I just had to come by and offer my assistance.”

“Why would you know how to tie a bow?” Silas asked, skeptical but less seething.

“See for yourself,” Niles responded, rotating so that Silas – and Kamui, though still angled behind his friend – could observe the large cloth bow that adorned his back.

“You upgraded to the Adventurer class!” Kamui suddenly emerged from behind Silas, wide-eyed and appreciative of the intricate garb. He always thought that Shura's outfit was particularly impressive, and Niles had obviously decided to switch to the same class; Kamui had completely forgotten that Niles had yet to reclass before he'd been whisked away. "Congratulations, that's a great class to be a part of.”

“Glad you think so,” Niles responded, obviously proud of himself, and equally smug due to the petulant jealousy present on Silas' face. “Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I can tie a bow. Mind if I give it a shot?”

“Um... okay, sure,” Kamui agreed, face heating as he turned around to face Silas once more, his back to Niles.

He could feel the outlaw – now adventurer – close in on him, warmth radiating between their bodies as Niles grasped the ends of the bow strings, loosening them from their disheveled state and carefully undoing the knots Silas had made. Kamui shivered when he felt knuckles brush up against his waistline, and he could only assume the sly touches were done on purpose.

He didn't notice the way Silas was looking on in anger, simmering where he stood as he watched Niles melt Kamui under his touch. Silas had never really considered Kamui a love interest, but he was his best friend, and he knew how guys like Niles operated – one-night stands, lots of teasing, promises of longer relationships but always lying. He would never wish that on anyone, but he absolutely refused to let it happen to Kamui.

But, he also knew that Kamui was able to handle himself; he'd proven that more than enough times on and off the battlefield. Still, Silas couldn't help but worry, especially when Kamui seemed already far into the process of falling for the lecherous archer.

Speaking of which, he didn't miss the way that Niles tugged Kamui closer by the strings of his apron, subtly rubbing against the very short skirt of the prince's dress which he could only assume Kamui was aware of but did nothing to stop. Silas wanted so badly to shove Niles off of him, but he knew that would only start a fight and probably earn him a spot on Kamui's bad side. So he waited in agony for the asshole to do just do his task, noticing every touch, honing in on Kamui's reactions, wishing he'd known how to tie a decent fucking bow himself.

“All done,” Niles finally, finally said, but didn't immediately make a move to walk away from Kamui's backside. “Looks nice.”

Kamui seemed to come out of a trance, blinking when he realized Niles had stopped messing with the bow and twisting his torso in order to get a better look at it.

“Oh, wow, you weren't kidding,” Kamui said as he admired the lovely ribbon. “Thank you, Niles, it looks like it never came undone!”

Niles smiled genuinely in return, welcoming the praise.

“No problem. It's the least I could do for our beloved Prince,” Niles half-bowed. “Isn't that right, Silas?”

“Yeah, sure,” Silas responded vapidly, not even looking in Niles direction.

“Well, I'm still hungry, so I'm going to get some more bread now. Would either of you like me to bring back anything?” Kamui asked, picking up his tray once more and making to head toward the lunch counter.

“No thanks, I'll be eating later,” Niles said.

“I'm good,” Silas waved him off.

As Kamui walked away, Silas couldn't help the sneer he shot Niles. In return, Niles simply smirked.

“Oh, that look,” Niles crooned, chuckling at Silas' expense. “Do you kiss Kamui's ass with that expression?”

“Look, jackass, I don't know what you're playing at, but you better not mess with Kamui,” Silas said in a grave tone, ignoring Niles' jab. At the threat, Niles quirked an eyebrow.

“Can you define 'messing with Kamui?' Because I'm only teasing him a bit. Flirting, I guess you could say,” Niles conceded. 

“That's what I mean. Stop flirting with him.”

“Why should I take orders from you? Kamui doesn't seem to mind.”

“Don't say his name so casually!”

“Why not? You do.”

“That's because I'm his best friend!”

“Oh? Is that why his Friendship Seal reclassed him to a maid? Because you're his best friend? Either you're not as good of friends with him as you think you are, or you've got some explaining to do,” Niles said, turning to go get his own lunch. He passed by Kamui on the way, muttering something to the prince that made his cheeks recolor – whatever had transpired, the prince had responded with a nod.

When Kamui rejoined Silas at their table, he immediately noticed that the knight was disturbingly silent. It was odd, but Kamui assumed it was just because he was upset that his bow hadn't been quite as up to snuff as Niles'.

“Um... I know you said you didn't want anything, but I brought you back a biscuit in case you might want one,” Kamui said, sliding the bread onto Silas' plate.

Silas glanced down at the proffered biscuit, smiling at the camaraderie it represented. Fuck Niles, Kamui was definitely his best friend.

“Hey, Kamui... Can I come to your quarters today?”

“Oh, no, sorry, Niles already asked if he could come over this evening.”

The sound of Silas' head hitting the table reverberated throughout the entire cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohh boy please don't expect chapters to come out this fast in the future & also I didn't re-read this because I wanted to post it super quick so if there's any glaring mistakes feel free to point them out
> 
> thanks to everyone who left Kudos on the first chapter! hope you enjoyed this one as well!
> 
> P.S. Niles is the best husband in FE:Fates Y/N (if you say no you're a Huge Nerd™ so keep that in mind before you answer)


	3. that's 'berry' cliche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's no way I could've written a story about Kamui wearing panties in good conscience without including this scenario. you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to it.

After parting ways with Silas – who muttered something about 'going to blow off some steam' as he left the cafeteria – Kamui decided that he should make his daily rounds since the events of the morning had prevented him from doing so earlier. 

As per usual, there were the ore mines to visit, the berry fields to check on, the lottery shop to try his luck at, the arena to observe, and the other various shops and smithies that made up Dragon's Gate. Of course, his comrades and allies helped to tend to most of the minutiae, but Kamui took pride in personally surveying their resources for himself. Not to mention, he really enjoyed the brief visits with his friends since there were quite a few of them that Kamui typically wasn't able to converse with outside of battle otherwise.

To begin his journey, Kamui stopped by the Onyx mine, spotting Arthur there toiling away at the bottom of the small mountain. With a smile, Kamui approached him, making sure his footfalls were loud enough amidst the clamor of excavation as to not startle the blond. He was slightly embarrassed to hear the raucous clicking sounds of his blunt heels against stone that he'd briefly forgotten he was wearing, but it did the job of alerting Arther to his presence; the tall man glanced over his shoulder to see who had joined him, instantly jumping to attention when he realized it was Kamui.

“Good evening, Lord Kamui!” Arthur greeted, and Kamui didn't miss the way Arthur made a quick sweep of his outfit. Kamui was pretty much past the point of being self-conscious, even if the way Arthur's eyes lingered on the erogenous zone between the hem of his thigh-highs and the edge of his dress did make him a bit embarrassed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I just wanted to see how you were coming along,” Kamui replied, taking a survey of the large crate of slate gems glittering in the crate beside Arthur. Pleased, Kamui stepped beside them, taking one out and examining it appreciatively. “It seems like you're doing a fine job – these are all crystal clear.”

Arthur swelled at the praise. “But of course! Expect only the best work from me!”

“I do,” Kamui affirmed, placing the Onyx back in the box. Clapping his hands to dust them off, a bit of the dirt tickled his nose, causing him to sneeze.

“Are you alright, Lord Kamui?” Arthur questioned, and Kamui saw the hesitation in his step – Arthur was obviously torn between stepping closer and staying planted where he stood. Was Kamui really that awkward to approach now?

Sighing, Kamui waved him off. “Yes, I'm fine, just a bit of an allergy. But never mind that, do you need any assistance for the rest of the day?”

“Oh, no, Sir!” Arthur replied haughtily, pounding a fist on his chest proudly. “I've hardly broken a sweat! I'll have the rest mined before the evening arrives!” At that, he paused, and Kamui quirked a brow as Arthur suddenly seemed to deflate. He also didn't miss the way the blond's cheeks tinged pink as he continued. “Speaking of which... if I do complete my duty before sundown, would you consider me a candidate to join you in your quarters today?”

Kamui was surprised by the question, not only because Arthur would mark the third person he'd been approached by today, but also because it was Arthur who asked. It wasn't that the man seemed to enjoy their bonding sessions any less than anyone else, but Arthur had never indicated that he wanted to be invited more often. As it was, Kamui had only had about three meetings with him since Arthur had joined the group; Arthur was usually quite busy with either Effie or Elise and didn't typically even have the time to spare. 

“I'm sorry, Arthur,” Kamui responded, watching the way Arthur's shoulders sagged instantly. “Niles already asked to visit me today. And Silas is due for tomorrow... perhaps Monday, if you're free?”

“Ah, yes, that would be fine,” Arthur responded, but not in the jovial tone he'd spoken with before.

“I'll keep you in mind, then,” Kamui affirmed, turning to leave. “Well, if you've got everything handled here, I have other things to attend to before the day is over. It was nice speaking with you, Arthur, thank you for taking such good care of the mines today.”

“N-no problem, Prince Kamui! Happy to help!” Arthur stuttered, his cheeks recoloring. Kamui found it a bit odd, but nonetheless continued on with his afternoon rounds.

.:.

When Kamui stopped by the berry fields, he was greeted with the sight of Keaton messing about in the center of the field, the woven basket at his side only about half-full of fruit even though he'd obviously gone through several rows. Suspicious, Kamui did his best to approach the man without making too much noise, but unfortunately for him, Keaton's bushy tail and long ears weren't the only things wolf-like about him; his hearing and sense of smell were also heightened, impressively so.

“You do realize I got a whiff of you heading my way a mile back, don't you?” Keaton addressed him, not turning around. Kamui found it a bit odd that the man didn't face him, but shrugged it off as another of Keaton's many quirks.

“Ah, I should've known I wouldn't slip past your keen senses,” Kamui conceded with a chuckle, stance relaxing as he strolled a bit closer to Keaton. He saw the half-wolf's shoulders tense, so he stopped where he was. “Um... I was actually just coming to check on how the harvesting was going, but then I noticed that your basket isn't even three-quarters full, though it seems that you've combed half of the fields already. Have some of the berries gone bad?”

“Nope, the berries are A-OK,” Keaton said, but Kamui didn't miss the obvious tremor in his voice. What was Keaton trying to pull?

“Okay... Would you mind turning to face me? I don't particularly care for conversing with your tail,” Kamui chided, keeping his tone light so hopefully Keaton would let his guard down. It seemed to help, fortunately, as Kamui observed Keaton's ears and tail relax, though his shoulders were still a bit stiff.

“You should feel honored, my tail is actually the most luxurious part of my body,” Keaton returned, said tail swishing back and forth across the backs of his legs. “But if you insist...”

Slowly, Keaton rotated to face Kamui directly, and the prince immediately realized why Keaton had been so restrained; Kamui had never seen so much berry juice plastered on a single person's face before. 

And it seemed Keaton was going through a similar mental quandary; Kamui briefly considered the fact that Keaton hadn't been present this morning when Kamui had been reclassed, as Keaton had claimed that 'Wolfskin is the superior class' and refused to join in on the festivities. As a result, this was likely the first time Keaton had seen Kamui in this... 'situation,' even though he had been informed of the happening by Leo and Xander. 

He could see Keaton's cheeks color – a typical response, at this point – even behind the smattering of red that coated the rest of his face and speckled his fur.

“So...” Kamui began in order to distract Keaton from his outfit, and it seemed to do the trick as Keaton refocused on Kamui's cerise irises. “If the berries haven't gone bad... What happened to them?”

Kamui watched Keaton's throat bob as he swallowed down what he could only assume were the last remnants of his berry binge. “Well, I may have sampled a few... but only to make sure they weren't poison or anything! Since I've got a stronger immune system than the rest of you guys, I figured it was my job to taste-test them. I was only looking out for you, Prince Kamui, honest.”

Kamui quirked a brow, unimpressed, but he couldn't help but find Keaton's weak attempt at explaining himself endearing. Besides, they had more than enough rations for now, and a few berries lost to a hungry wolf wouldn't spell the end of them, for sure.

“In that case, I appreciate your bravery, Keaton,” Kamui smiled good-naturedly, bowing to the Wolfskin briefly. Keaton's face hadn't lost it's color, and the display of gratitude only seemed to fluster him more.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Keaton replied, glancing away and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. However, his eyes kept darting back and forth between Kamui and his half-empty basket of berries. “So... how long're you keeping the dress?”

“Until we can obtain another Master or Heart Seal, it seems,” Kamui said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. As he did so, he felt the brush of thin, coarse fabric against his upper thigh, and he recalled that he had also kept on the lacy panties. Classy.

“Ah,” Keaton said simply, crossing his arms behind his head as he regarded Kamui thoughtfully. “Well, when you are able to give it up, could I have it?”

Kamui's face was instantly aflame as multiple possibilities of why Keaton would want his maid costume flashed through his mind all at once. “W-why do you want it? I-I don't really think it would fit you...”

“Ugh, don't get the wrong idea, I don't want to wear it,” Keaton replied with a grimace. “I just want it for my collection. Can you imagine how jealous everyone would be of my treasure pile if I had a maid dress worn by the Prince of Nohr? No other Wolfskin's hoard would ever compare to mine!”

Kamui had to chuckle at Keaton's enthusiasm. “I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, you really should try to get that berry juice out of your fur – it'll probably stain if you don't.”

“Ah, dammit, you think it will?” Keaton seemed distressed, pawing at his sideburns with a disgruntled expression. Once again Kamui had to laugh at Keaton's canine-like behavior.

“Don't worry, it shouldn't be too hard to clean. Actually, I've got a few towelettes left over from lunch; we could at least get the worst of it off for now,” Kamui said, reaching into the pocket of his apron where he had the napkins stashed. Bringing one out, he stepped closer to Keaton, cupping one of the Wolfskin's cheeks and using his other hand to begin wiping off the magenta mess. “Just hold still for a moment.”

Meanwhile, Keaton felt like his face was going to spontaneously combust. He'd never taken the time to notice how pretty Kamui was, but so close up, it was easy to see how long and delicate his eyelashes were, how round and bright his cheeks seemed, how sweeping and soft his hair looked.

Keaton was also stirred due to how gentle and careful Kamui was being. More than once, a few of the battalion's female warriors had asked to pet his fur since they were intrigued by the idea of a Wolfskin and obviously had never interacted with one so personally before. Kind as they tried to be, their touches were mistakenly rough and they usually ended up pulling back with a few loose hairs that they'd raked out. Unfortunate, considering, despite his hostile pretenses toward being petted, he actually adored the attention and it felt wonderful to have his fur stroked. Elise had become masterful at it after much (forced) practice, and as a consequence she had generally become the only one allowed to touch him in any shape or form, but it seemed that he'd been too quick to judge Kamui's skills. He'd have to take Kamui up on the invitations to his room more often.

“Wow... you're really good at this,” Keaton complimented, and his tail started to wag subconsciously.

“What, you mean cleaning your fur? Thank you, but it doesn't exactly take a scholar,” Kamui teased, ruffling the hair beside Keaton's long left ear.

“You'd be surprised how hard it is to achieve the perfect technique,” Keaton replied, leaning into Kamui's touch, sighing contentedly. “You're a natural.”

“I must be,” Kamui giggled, and Keaton's ears twitched at the sound. “Your tail is stirring up a dust cloud.”

“Ah, shit,” Keaton muttered, grasping it with his gloved hand to keep it at bay. “Sorry, didn't mean to get your dress dirty.”

“It's okay, no harm done,” Kamui said, now working on de-berrying the right half of Keaton's fur. There wasn't as much clumping on that side, so the process went along rather quickly, much to Keaton's dismay. “And... there, all done! Nice and clean.”

“You sure?” Keaton asked, shaking his head briefly to fluff up what had been smoothed down. “I feel like I've still got some on the right side...”

“Hm?” Kamui hummed, carding his fingers through the Wolfskin's scruff; Keaton gave a full-body shiver in response. “I don't think so? It seems just as silky as it was before.”

“Oh, well, I guess it just felt weird since you played with it,” Keaton lamented, pouting.

“Well, at least it isn't all matted now. It's back to being a fluffy mess!” Kamui grinned, flanking Keaton's face with his hands and ruffling his fur good-naturedly. Flustered, Keaton let out a disgruntled growl, hands flying up to grab Kamui's lace-encircled wrists and holding them out to the sides.

“You're not helping the problem,” Keaton said, face a healthy red and hair a shock of black and white.

“Aw, but you look adorable!” Kamui teased, laughing heartily at the other man's expense.

“Says the prince in the frilly maid outfit,” Keaton bit back, releasing Kamui's wrists in order to grasp a handful of said dress, crouching to examine the flouncy material. “I mean, look at it. It's so... poofy.”

“Ah, Keaton, that's-”

“And what are these things?” Keaton continued, finger dipping into the hem of Kamui's lace-trimmed stockings and experimentally pulling it back and snapping it against his thigh, making Kamui release a startled yelp. “They don't look very comfy.”

“Keaton, I-”

“Not to mention your shoes. How are you gonna fight in these?” Keaton accented his sentence by grasping one of Kamui's heels and lifting it to get a better view, immediately causing Kamui to be thrown off balance. With his already limited maneuverability, it was inevitable that the prince was bound for the ground, and with a short shout, Kamui felt his bottom slam against the dirt of the berry field. Instantly regretful, Keaton made a move to offer Kamui his hand. 

“Oh, man, I'm so sor-”

Keaton paused. Splayed in front of him was a sight Keaton would never have thought he'd bear witness to in one hundred decades.

Prince Kamui wearing frilly black panties.

Kamui didn't seem to be aware of what exactly had happened yet, as he was still groaning from the ache sprouting in his lower back. However, it didn't take more than a few seconds for him to realize what he'd just had on display, making a noise of surprise and embarrassment as he shoved the dress down between his knees.

“S-sorry,” Kamui apologized because he felt like he needed to, if nothing else just to break up the awkward silence that had settled over them. Wordlessly, he got back to his feet, taking care to keep his dress appropriately situated as he dusted off his skirt.

“N-no, it's me who should be... a-apologizing,” Keaton replied around a thick swallow mid-sentence, his mouth suddenly dry. “Um... are those, uh, part of the outfit?”

Kamui nodded, eyes shielded by his hair, face enflamed.

“Oh,” Keaton said smartly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, um, they're-” Suddenly, Keaton stopped, ears standing at attention, back straight, eyes darting back and forth until he seemed to catch sight of something in the distance that made his face drain of color. Kamui – peaking from under his curtain of hair – was about to ask why the Wolfskin had interrupted himself before Keaton began speaking again. “Uh, anyway, I really need to get back to this berry-picking,” Keaton said hurriedly, hoisting up his long-forgotten basket under his arm. “Plus, your dress got all filthy, you should probably go talk to Jakob about getting it cleaned. See ya, Prince Kamui!”

With that, Keaton jogged off toward the other end of the field, seeming to be in quite a rush to leave Kamui's presence.

“Bye, then?” Kamui said to no one in particular now that he was suddenly alone, finding the man's behavior more bizarre than usual. But Keaton did have a point, Kamui noted exasperatedly as he glanced down as his dirtied apron, he should probably go get Jakob to wash his outfit.

As he turned to leave, he could've sworn he saw a flash of white hair disappear behind a grove of berry bushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a piece of garbage okay I can't hide who I truly am inside
> 
> I swear Niles and all of his charming assholery will def be in the next chapter I just had to get this lameass scenario out of my system because I also really wanted to write Keaton in here somehow
> 
> GOLLY GEE I WONDER WHO THAT WHITE HAIR BELONGED TO (hint: it was U.S. 2016 Democratic Candidate Bernie Sanders)


	4. gambling at its finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's all fun and games until you realize you're wearing a maid dress in the middle of a war

After leaving Keaton's company, Kamui went in search of Jakob, recalling that he was due to man the lottery shop today. Thankfully, the shop wasn't too far off from the berry fields, and Kamui was able to make it inside with no further confrontations.

“Good afternoon, Jakob,” Kamui greeted as he entered the store, bell jingling overhead to alert the person at the counter. He was surprised to find that no one was present from what he could deduce, but he nearly leapt out of his dress when a pastel-pink shock of hair flipped up from underneath the counter.

“Oh, Prince Kamui!” Felicia shouted, obviously shocked and quite frazzled. There were various precious gemstones and weaponry strewn about the counter space and behind it. “Sorry for the mess, are you here for the daily drawing?”

“That's... okay, I was actually looking for Jakob,” Kamui responded slowly, concerned. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

“Oh, yes, he's fine!” Felicia assured, seeming to be out of breath for some reason. “Jakob got called away for a bit to coordinate a few renovations from the last castle invasion so he asked me to fill in since I was off duty today." 

“Alright then,” Kamui said, watching as Felicia nearly dropped the gems she was fumbling around with. “Do you need any help? It seems like you're having some trouble–“

“No! I can do this!” Felicia cut him off, scooping far more stones in her hands than she could reliably carry and, inevitably, spilling a few onto the floor. “I just need to get these separated into their crates so that they can be given away to the winners, and then I need to get the weapons tagged so they're ready to be awarded, and then I need to make sure that the food prizes stay properly stored – no big deal! I'm fine!”

Kamui could hear the stress seep into Felicia's voice the longer she talked, and Kamui watched sadly as the girl dropped nearly all of the stones into the wrong crate, some bumping together and cracking.

“Felicia?” Kamui approached her carefully, crouching down to her level where she was frantically trying to separate the topaz from the emeralds. He drew his hand back from where he'd attempted to touch her when she flinched upon contact. “Are you okay?”

Felicia seemed to hesitate for a moment before her shoulders slumped and she heaved a sigh, sliding her knees down to the ground amongst the mismatched pile of gems.

“Not really...” she responded, not meeting Kamui's eyes. “I was so upset when Jakob asked me to do this job because I knew I wouldn't be very good at it...”

“Don't worry about that, Felicia,” Kamui reassured, voice gentle and smile warm. “There's a lot to keep track of, and Jakob did just spring this job onto you in the middle of the day. It's not your fault that things are a little hectic.”

“Thank you, Prince Kamui, but that's not the only reason I'm upset,” she responded, and Kamui gestured for her to continue. “I'm upset because... of you.”

Kamui's eyes grew wide, an expression of shock on his face.

“Me? What did I do?”

“It's not what you did, it's what I did,” Felicia said, turning to look at him, and Kamui saw that her eyes instantly darted toward his outfit, and it only seemed to make her more distressed. “I made you into... _that_!”

“What're you talking about?”

“A maid! It's my fault that you were reclassed to a maid!” Felicia blurted.

“Felicia, it's not anyone's 'fault' except mine,” Kamui responded, but that didn't seem to quell Felicia's anxiety as she still regarded him with eyes filled with consternation. “I should've been more careful with the seal, that's all. It's not your doing.”

“But you're still a maid because of me! If I wouldn't have insisted on being so close with you, you could be a Nohr Noble or a Mage or a Cavalier or anything better than a useless maid...”

“Don't talk like that, Felicia,” Kamui said sternly, grasping Felicia's arm and urging her to stand up with him. When they were both upright, Kamui put an amiable hand on her shoulder, smiling at her calmly. “You were always incredibly skilled as a maid. And it may take a bit of training, but I'm sure I'll be able to get proficient at using daggers, too, if you wouldn't mind giving me a few pointers.”

Felicia's eyes widened. “Oh, no, I couldn't possibly! I'm sure you'll be a natural, Prince Kamui. But still...”

“No, I won't hear another word about it,” Kamui said good-naturedly. “It's not an ideal situation, but it won't be hard to remedy, and in the meantime, I've got an excellent teacher to show me all the ins-and-outs of being a maid on the battlefield.”

“Thank you, I would be happy to help you in any way I can,” Felicia said with a small smile, her gaze falling to the floor. “I do apologize for the inconvenience, though. No matter how you look at it, it is technically my fault.”

“Well, I suppose you're right... it is your fault for being such good company,” Kamui said playfully, patting the girl on the shoulder. “If you wouldn't have been so much fun to be around, I wouldn't have grown to be so close with you.”

Felicia's eyes seemed to sparkle at his words, a smile finally lighting up her face. “I'm so glad you feel that way, Prince Kamui! I've always enjoyed being your friend, regardless of the circumstances.” Pausing to steal another glance at Kamui's outfit, she giggled teasingly. “On the bright side, the dress suits you beautifully.”

Kamui couldn't help but fluster a bit, bringing back his nervous habit of scratching his cheek. “Y-you think so?”

“Absolutely!” Felicia beamed, and Kamui was thankful to see her smile again. A thought seemed to come to her as she suddenly gasped and went back to hurriedly rearranging the gems – thankfully more efficient this time now that her heavy conscience wasn't distracting her. “Oh, I believe that Jakob should be back soon – in the meantime, would you like to try the Dusk Lottery since you're here?”

“Sure, why not?” Kamui shrugged, approaching the counter as Felicia gathered herself and dusted off her Strategist outfit.

“Okay,” she began, nearing the lottery wheel and grasping the handle. “Here we go!”

Giving the handle a rough shove, the sound of wooden balls being jostled around inside the tumbler filled the shop, and as the wheel slowed, the hatch opened, dropping out one of them onto the dish.

“Oh, wow!” Felicia exclaimed, picking up the sphere and looking excited as she showed it to Kamui. “You won a gold prize!”

“Great!” Kamui shared her excitement, watching the girl place the ball back inside the hollow wheel and approach the counter once again. “So what have I won?”

“Well, a gold award is usually a high-class weapon, and it seems like today's prize is...” Felicia reviewed the record that was placed near the lottery wheel, reading off the item next to the day's date. “Ah, a Killer Bow!”

Felicia scurried back to the desk, bringing out a box labeled 'Gold Award' and opening it to reveal to Kamui a very sharp looking bow, curved beautifully and sporting an intricate beveled design. It was ostensibly quite a deadly weapon, as Kamui had heard Shura speak of it highly and seem to be itching to have one for himself.

“I guess it's not too useful for me right now, though, is it?” Kamui lamented, running a finger along the curve of the bow, realizing it was made of an expensive metal.

“I suppose not,” Felicia considered, head tilting as she seemed to be in thought. “But you could probably trade it in at the Smithy for a weapon you could use since this one is of such high quality. I recommend the Flame Shurikens – they were always my favorite weapon to use when I was a maid.”

“Thanks for the recommendation, Felicia, I think I'll–“

“Felicia!” Suddenly, the door to the shop flew open, bell loudly clanging against the wall and startling both Kamui and the Strategist who'd been addressed; Jakob, prim and proper as ever, strode into the shop. “I'm able to take over my position once again, you're dismissed. Ugh, why is it such a mess in here?! I only left you to it for–“ Jakob paused, eyes darting to Kamui who looked just as startled as Felicia. Clearing his throat, Jakob smoothed his ascot, posture calming and face taking on a much kinder air. “Ah, excuse me, Lord Kamui, I didn't realize you had graced us with your presence. I apologize that I couldn't have been here to serve you sooner.”

“Oh, um, it's fine, Jakob,” Kamui responded, smiling at his butler. “Felicia was an excellent host. Actually, I was able to win the gold prize today – look!”

Proudly, Kamui presented the fine weapon to Jakob who observed Kamui's adorable display of excitement rather than the item in question.

“Very good, Lord Kamui, congratulations,” Jakob responded kindly, briefly turning his attention back to Felicia who tensed up as soon as they locked eyes. “...Thank you for taking care of the prince in my absence, Felicia. As I said before, you're free to go.”

Felicia seemed more than happy to flee the situation, waving to Kamui who returned the gesture with a smile.

With Felicia departed, Jakob sighed, seeming to regather himself as he started to move back behind the counter.

“Now then, I suppose I should get to cleaning up this mess,” Jakob said, rolling up his sleeves just beyond his elbows as he prepared to inspect the cluttered mass of gems present in a crate specifically designated for Sapphires. “If you'll excuse me, Lord Kamui, unless I can help you with anything else?”

Replacing the bow, Kamui moved behind the counter along with his butler, remembering why he'd come to the lottery shop in the first place.

“Actually, I came to the shop looking for you,” Kamui said, stepping forward and turning around so that his outfit was viewable. “I got quite a bit of dirt on the back of my dress and was hoping you could help me wash it, if you have the time.”

“Oh, dear, what've you gotten into?” Jakob asked, moving forward and picking up the hem of the skirt to inspect the stain. “It looks like it'll be quite a task to get out... but I abhor the thought that our prince would be caught prancing about in a soiled garment under my watch. Luckily for us both, the shop is furnished with a washroom in the back, so if you'd be so kind as to follow me, I should be able to spruce it up for you.”

“Thank you, Jakob, I knew I could count on you,” Kamui said with a smile, doing as he was asked and walking to the back room with the taller man. Upon entering the small washroom, Kamui glanced around, spotting a bucket of fresh water and a few cleaning supplies.

“Now, remove your dress, if you'd please,” Jakob requested, slipping off his gloves and placing them neatly on a shelf next to the wash basin.

Kamui could feel his face heat up, hands twitching by his sides.

“U-um, can't you just scrub off the stain while I'm wearing it?” Kamui asked timidly, fingers grasping the edge of his skirt. Jakob raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him.

“I apologize, but I doubt that'd be very efficient. It'd be for the best if you'd allow me to work at it separate from you,” Jakob said.

Once again, Kamui's face reddened. It didn't seem that there'd be any way around it, but he was suddenly frozen to the spot, unable to make his arms move to start undressing. As he was considering the best way to go about disrobing, he heard Jakob sigh and begin to move toward him.

“No need to be so modest, Lord Kamui, I've seen you in a state of undress many times before,” Jakob said with an airy chuckle, striding around behind Kamui and grasping the strings of his lace corset. “Would it perhaps be less difficult if I assisted you?”

“I-I'm not sure, but I don't know if I'd be able to figure out how to get out of this thing anyway, so I s-suppose you can continue...” Kamui responded shakily, already embarrassed. But what he said wasn't untrue – he was genuinely concerned that he'd have no idea how to go about unlacing the back and somehow end up hopelessly entangled with the whole thing.

Smiling, Jakob pulled at the first string, and Kamui could already feel the corset loosening around his torso.

“Happy to help, Milord. Please do speak up if you're uncomfortable for any reason.”

Kamui stood stock still, only moving or lifting his arms when Jakob requested him to do so. It wasn't quite as mortifying as Kamui had anticipated, but he was pretty sure his cheeks were red throughout the entire experience, as every time he would catch sight of Jakob's face, he seemed to be on the verge of chuckling at his expense.

“I've undone the ties enough for you to be able to step out of it,” Jakob said finally, holding up the dress that was now only being supported by Kamui's shoulders.

Swallowing down his nervousness, Kamui nodded, proceeding to ease the outfit down his body, shuddering as the clammy atmosphere of the room ghosted across his skin. Stepping out of it carefully – as he was still unused to the clunky shoes he was required to wear – Kamui instantly crossed his arms across himself, shielding as much of his body from view as possible.

It was made worse by the fact that taking notice of Kamui now only being adorned in thigh-highs, heels, and those illustrious black panties seemed to finally rouse a reaction out of Jakob whose cheeks colored modestly, his eyes darting away respectfully.

“Pardon me, Lord Kamui, I'll take care of this in a moment,” Jakob assured, taking the dress away and laying it near the basin of water. “I need to retrieve an extra box of washing powder from the custodial closet. You'll be alright to wait here?”

“Mhmm,” Kamui nodded with a tight-lipped hum, afraid that his voice would crack if he spoke aloud. He was incredibly embarrassed and felt especially exposed, even more so he thought than if he would've been completely naked. At the affirmation, Jakob bowed briefly and exited the room, vanishing down the hall.

Kamui, now in his own company, heaved a sigh, reminiscing on the eventful day he'd had. He still couldn't believe he was in this situation now, stuck wearing a dress and heels and stockings and... panties.

He glanced down, blushing despite himself as he observed the lewd way the undergarments caressed his lower half, _just_ small enough but _just_ big enough. He felt so perverse even just seeing himself in them, never mind actually physically wearing them. They weren't necessarily uncomfortable, just... different. A bit more restrictive, but otherwise not vastly different than his usual under armor.

Except for the fact that they were lacy and designed for women, he reminded himself.

Curious, Kamui ran his fingertips over the waistband, feeling the coarse material and grooves of woven fabric run underneath them. It was oddly sensual, and not necessarily unpleasant, so he continued around from the side to the front, finding an adornment in the shape of a small white bow at the center.

 _Cute_ , he thought to himself, slightly lost in his exploration.

However, his reverie was shattered by the sound of loud footsteps approaching the room, and they weren't from the direction Jakob had gone. There was no where for him to escape in time before who he recognized as Kaze entered the washroom, seeming not to take notice of Kamui immediately as he was distracted with speaking to someone in the hallway.

“I'll be back, Laslow, I'm sure Jakob must be here. He wouldn't just abandon his job like tha–“ Kaze froze instantly upon finally taking in the sight of Kamui in only his underclothes, to which Kamui responded by... not responding. He didn't think he could move if he wanted to – his whole body had basically shut down upon realizing that there was no way out.

“Kaze? Are you okay? Did you find Jakob?” Kamui heard Laslow call from the front, but it didn't seem like Kaze had even heard it.

“Oh, Gods,” Kaze breathed, his face enflaming immediately and a hand flying to push up his scarf to cover his mouth and nose. Kamui's own face flushed upon seeing red start to stain through the purple of Kaze's scarf – obviously from the blood seeping from his nose. Kaze took a few steps back, taking one last glance at Kamui before making a mad dash back to the front of the store.

 _Well. That could've gone better_ , Kamui thought to himself, swallowing thickly. He heard the door to the front of the shop open and close, and he wondered briefly why he hadn't heard them enter. He supposed that he was too distracted admiring himself in girl's underwear to notice, he realized ashamedly.

About that time, Jakob finally reappeared, holding a fresh box of cleaning soap and looking a bit bedraggled.

“Apologies for the wait, Lord Kamui, the washing powder was quite a chore to get to,” Jakob said, moving over toward the dirtied dress and pouring a modest amount of the soap into the basin. “I suppose it was a bit buried since it isn't often that there's any need for garments to be washed in a lottery shop.”

Kamui attempted a chuckle, but he was still partly dazed from the encounter with Kaze. He could only hope the ninja hadn't disclosed what he'd seen to Laslow, though he would imagine that his friend had been a bit curious as to why his green-haired companion had flown from the backroom with a red face and a bloodied scarf.

“If you'd like to take a seat while you wait, you're welcome to the stool in the corner,” Jakob offered, and the sound of his voice seemed to kickstart Kamui's awareness once more. Nodding, the prince padded across the tile floor to the stool, taking a tentative seat and shivering when the cool wood touched his scantily covered rear end.

Kamui made idle chitchat with Jakob while the butler washed his outfit, subtly throwing in hints here and there that he wished Jakob would be a bit easier on Felicia of which Jakob only halfheartedly took notice. They moved on to speak about their previous and upcoming battles just as Kamui and Silas had done earlier that day, but Jakob always had a different take considering he was more of a healer rather than someone immediately in the fray; it was interesting to hear from a perspective that wasn't on the front lines.

“You know,” Jakob began as they were on the topic, giving Kamui a pointed look, “you could also choose to become a healer exclusively. As you recall, maids have access to daggers _and_ staves.”

Kamui was a bit surprised that Jakob was urging him to take a backseat on the battlefield considering how much of an asset he was – or, rather, had been – to their unit before, but it wasn't exactly an unwelcome idea. After all, Kamui wouldn't be afraid to admit that he was uncertain of his new prowess in battle – he'd had no training with daggers, and dying in an effort just to prove his usefulness wouldn't be beneficial to anyone. He said as much to Jakob, who hummed in thought.

“You're wise to not simply rush into battle on adrenaline with nothing to followup,” Jakob said, regarding Kamui thoughtfully. “I would be honored to train you on the art of using staves should you choose to experiment with them. Though if you decide against it, I would highly advise speaking to any one of your comrades who're trained with close-range and projectile weapons – I only wish for your safety.”

Kamui was thankful for the advice, and by the time Jakob had finished his bit of mentoring, Kamui realized that his dress was back to being spick and span, courtesy of the butler in question.

“Now, it may still be a bit damp, but you shouldn't have any trouble wearing it without chafing,” Jakob explained, extending the dress toward Kamui to step back into. “I used softening powder to make the material especially gentle on skin. I think you'll find it satisfactory.”

“Ah, yes, it is very soft,” Kamui commented as he slid the dress back up his body, holding it up to his shoulders as Joker once again assisted him with lacing the corset and retying the bow of his apron for the third time that day. “Thank you, Jakob. For everything.”

Jakob smiled warmly at his liege, bowing deeply. “I'm glad I could assist you, Milord. How else may I be of service?”

“That'll be all for today,” Kamui responded, shifting his body to readjust his dress. “Oh, but I did mean to tell you that Laslow and Kaze stopped by while you were searching for the washing powder. I... heard them talking up front.”

“Oh? I wonder what they could've stopped by for,” Jakob said, beginning his walk back to the front of the store. “I suppose Kaze is probably advising Laslow on what weapons to seek out now that they're both of the same class. Curious...”

Kamui followed Jakob wordlessly back to the counter, catching sight of his newly awarded bow that he'd abandoned when he'd left with Jakob. Thankful that his neglect hadn't resulted in someone thieving his prize, Kamui reboxed the weapon, carefully tucking it under his arm.

“Thank you again for the help, Jakob,” Kamui repeated, smiling with a short wave as he made to leave. “I'll see you later.”

“Of course, have a lovely afternoon,” Jakob responded, slipping back on his gloves that he'd brought from the back and beginning on the task of arranging the jewels that he'd left.

As Kamui finally made to leave, it was a bit of a struggle getting the door open and closed with his arms full, and he nearly tripped out the threshold of the shop. Thankfully, he was able to right himself against what he assumed was the outside wall, but walls weren't typically covered in cloth and didn't smell like burning kindling.

Chancing a look up, Kamui was met with the smirking face of Niles, because of course it was Niles.

“Hello there, Prince Kamui,” Niles greeted casually, not seeming to mind at all that they were barely a half-dozen inches away from bumping noses. “Not used to prancing around with shoes on, huh?”

Kamui practically jumped away, rearranging the box under his arm to get a better grip. Kamui fixed the man with a pouty look, a bit insulted. “I'm not a toddler, I know how to walk fine in shoes. I'm just... not quite used to heels.”

“Aw, you don't have to make excuses,” Niles cooed, grin still on his face as he moved subtly closer. “I think it's adorable how clumsy you are now. It makes you seem so... vulnerable.”

Kamui could feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks, regardless of how hard he tried to keep it under control. And despite how patronized he felt, he couldn't help the tingling sensation that stirred in the pit of his stomach at the sultry tone Niles spoke to him with.

“You know, if you continue being so snarky, I may just have to take Silas up on his request to be the one to join me in my quarters this afternoon,” Kamui teased, exceedingly pleased by the brief flash of panic that sparked in Niles' visible eye.

“Harsh,” Niles conceded, chuckling. “I never knew you had it in you. I guess you're full of surprises.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kamui asked.

“Well, I've just discovered you have a vindictive streak, and I wasn't aware until this morning how well you can pull off a maid dress. I suppose I should've guessed as much, but _nothing_ compares to seeing it in person,” Niles said, his eye raking up and down Kamui's form. He moved closer still until they were nearly in the same position as when they'd first encountered. “Though, I must admit I may be a little biased...”

“W-what do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” Niles parroted, an attractive laugh rumbling in his throat – right next to Kamui's ear. “Maybe you'll find out later, when we're alone.”

The tremor that ran through Kamui's body in response caused him to lose the grip on the box he was carrying, resulting in it crashing do the ground and the bow tumbling out. Kamui was startled by the noise, but it seemed that Niles was totally unfazed, more interested in the object itself than the commotion it created.

“Hmm? What's this?” Niles bent down to retrieve the weapon, turning it over in his palm curiously. “What's a maid doing with a Killer Bow?”

“I-I won it at the lottery shop just now,” Kamui responded, still flustered. “I was thinking about going to trade it in at the Smithy for something I could use.”

“Ah,” Niles made a noise of understanding, and Kamui observed the way the curvature of the bow fit perfectly into the Adventurer's palm as he held it. Not to mention, Niles seemed instantly taken with the weapon, looking more impressed than Kamui had ever seen him with anything else.

“...But,” Kamui started, drawing Niles' attention back to him, “if you'd like to use it, I wouldn't mind gifting it to you. I'm not sure yet whether I'd like to pursue being a healer or a fighter at this point, anyway, and I'd be happy for you to be able to use it since it's such a high-quality weapon.”

Surprise – as well as something else that Kamui couldn't quite place – raced across Niles' face, but it was gone so quickly that Kamui thought he may've imagined it.

“Trying to butter me up with presents?” Niles asked coyly after a moment, smiling at the prince, but it wasn't cruelly or mockingly – it was genuine. “I'll accept it, but are you sure you don't want to pawn it off? You'd snag quite a hefty sum for this thing.”

“Yes, like I said, I'd be glad for you to get use out of it rather than simply trading it in for a few staves,” Kamui responded, finding it exceedingly endearing that Niles seemed to be so excited, despite how he tried to hide it.

“Well, in that case... I appreciate the gift,” Niles responded, a bit awkwardly – it was incredibly obvious that he wasn't used to expressing gratitude. He immediately recovered, however, and sent a lascivious smirk toward Kamui. “I suppose this means I'll have to return the favor.”

 “O-oh, no, that's okay, I only happened to get lucky, it's not like I paid out of pocket for it,” Kamui said, hands up as if to dispel the thought.

“Still, I simply couldn't allow such a generous gift from the Prince of Nohr to go unreciprocated,” Niles said in a falsetto, enjoying the increasingly flustered look on Kamui's face.

“Honestly, I don't mind, I just hope that it serves you well,” Kamui said, not able to meet Niles' eyes.

“I'm sure that it will,” Niles replied, sparing a glance to the shiny new weapon in his hands. It seemed that Niles was going to continue, but he was cut off as Leo suddenly came galloping toward them on his steed; Kamui instantly recognized what the look on his brother's face meant.

“You two, we need you to get into position! We're being invaded!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember when I said that this story was all fun and games and dicks? well it's still definitely that but there's going to be an invasion before we get to the dicks ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> also once again i didnt reread this because im a lazy asshole so please feel free to correct me on anything glaringly obvious


	5. he touched the butt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 0 TO 100 REAL QUICK MY BOYS

Niles was instantly at attention as soon as Leo had approached them, all traces of conviviality gone from his face, and it only grew darker when he heard the news his liege delivered.

“How many are there, Milord?” Niles questioned, voice stern.

“More than we hoped, but not too many to handle,” Leo replied, dismounting his horse. He directed his attention from Niles to Kamui, face just as serious. “Have you been able to get any weapons yet?”

Kamui looked away from his brother, posture withdrawn. “...No. I can't... I can't fight.”

Kamui flinched when he heard Leo's heavy sigh, obviously disappointed.

“I expected as much,” Leo said reproachfully, but once realizing how disheartened the prince became, he quickly added, “You didn't have adequate time to find one. It's not your fault.”

“What will you have him do then, Milord?” Niles asked, glancing between the two princes. Leo seemed to regard him for a moment, but his train of thought was derailed by the sound of Xander bellowing his name in the distance, obviously a summons to join the fray. Shoulders tensing, Leo turned fully toward Niles, countenance firm.

“I want him to support you,” Leo said, voice leaving no room for argument. “He can buff your abilities and you can make sure that he's protected in return.”

Niles seemed a bit caught off guard, eyebrow arching. “You trust me enough to watch after your brother?”

“I do,” Leo responded immediately, and the surprise on Niles' face was even more apparent. “Don't make me regret it.”

“...Of course not, Milord,” Niles said, bowing in respect. He almost flinched when he felt Leo place a hand on his shoulder, leaning down close enough to his ear that he could feel Leo's magical presence crackle around him.

“Guard him with your life,” Leo began, grip on Niles' shoulder tightening. “I don't want to find a single hair on Kamui's head disturbed. Understand?”

Niles responded with a mute nod, fully aware of the vast array of consequences that could possibly befall him. He didn't need to be instructed to do so, as it was – Niles was fully prepared to give his life for Kamui should the situation arise, without the threat.

“Good. Thank you, Niles,” Leo said finally, patting Niles' shoulder briefly as he turned back to mount his horse. He glanced over at Kamui who still seemed downtrodden at his ostensible uselessness. “Kamui... Please let Niles protect you for now. I know you hate feeling helpless, but don't do anything rash. Take one battle at a time.”

Kamui looked up at his brother when he'd been addressed, and he nodded at his younger sibling's doting tone, smiling a bit despite himself. “Don't worry, Leo, I know my limits. I'll exclusively support Niles for now, I promise.”

Leo smiled back, getting up on his horse and tugging on the reigns to turn around; urging the steed forward, Leo took off toward the front of the castle grounds where Xander was waiting for him, already meeting the adversaries before they had the chance infiltrate the crenelations.

Niles, expression less formal and posture relaxing, turned toward Kamui, grinning at the boy clandestinely.

“Looks like I'll have the honor of protecting the princess this evening,” Niles said teasingly, holding out his hand for Kamui to meet in order to officially pact their support.

Kamui blinked at the sudden change in attitude, but couldn't help the indignant blush that crept onto his cheeks at the nickname.

“Don't call me that,” Kamui said, joining their palms and briefly shivering at the feeling of the support being activated.

“Yeah, yeah,” Niles responded in a voice that radiated indifference, and for some reason began to untie the cloth around his neck that held his Adventurer cape in place – Kamui watched on in confusion.

“Um, what are you doing?” Kamui asked as Niles finally got the strings untied and proceeded to slide the large bolt of fabric from his shoulders.

“I'm covering you up,” Niles responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Kamui's face reddened as Niles stepped closer to him, slinging the cape around the prince's more slender shoulders and swathing him in his scent. Wrapping it around Kamui securely so that only the bare minimum of Kamui's outfit was visible, Niles began retying the strings to keep it in place. While doing so, Kamui heard Niles say, “There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone else see you like this. It's making my skin crawl just to think about all those perverts laying eyes on you this morning...”

Stepping back, Niles slyly observed his work, feeling his face lightly hue at the sight – Kamui appeared to be more petite wrapped in Niles' longer, larger garment, and the very idea that Kamui was wearing an article of Niles' clothing was incredibly alluring.

 _Kamui is too cute for his own good_ , Niles thought to himself.

“W-well, thanks, I guess,” Kamui said finally, voice small, tugging the edges of the drapery closer around himself. “Are you sure you don't need it?”

“I would guess that it's about as useful as those thigh-highs are to you,” Niles waved him off, shrugging his quiver onto his back. Glancing over Kamui, Niles grinned. “Unless they are for more than just sex appeal?”

Kamui made a noise of embarrassment, burying his face into the long garment wrapped around him. “Let's just go join up with everyone, you lech.”

Niles chuckled at the cute display, beginning to move toward the entrance of the castle where he could already see a scuffle taking place. From what he could tell, it didn't seem that their unit was having any trouble taking on the group of outsiders – their numbers were undoubtedly large, but their constitutions were weak. Akin to a swarm of locusts, the invaders flocked into the castle in numbers, intending to raid them of their resources and move on to the next area, but they were being countered before they could make any headway whatsoever.

Thankful to find that their battalion was fairing well, Niles quietly gestured for Kamui to follow him closer, scouting to see if there were any stragglers that could be taken out with a well-aimed arrow.

“Stay close to me,” Niles whispered to Kamui, though it was a bit redundant since the prince had basically been glued to the adventurer's side since they'd left the lottery area.

“Don't worry, I will,” Kamui responded, his cerise eyes also scanning the area for adversaries. It didn't take long for him to hone in on – what appeared to be – a mage slipping in through the adjacent gate, and there were no signs to indicate that the foe had taken notice of them yet, nor was there an apparent flagship to their allegiance to either Nohr or Hoshido. Misalliance, he assumed.

Niles felt Kamui suddenly grip the back of his shirt, and the white-haired man glanced back at Kamui with curiosity. He saw the prince nod toward the area to their right, and his eyes followed the gesture until he caught sight of what Kamui had been warning him about.

“Let's approach from the left,” Niles began quietly, head tilting to whisper in Kamui's ear. “We should be able to take him out without engaging.”

Kamui nodded nervously, not only because his whole body seemed to be reacting to Niles' close proximity, but because – for the first time since he'd left home – he felt helpless. He trusted Niles, he really did, but he dreaded the thought of what would happen if Niles slipped up and Kamui was completely unable to aid him.

“Come on,” Niles signaled to him, and Kamui shook himself out of his reverie as the taller man guided him behind the Einherjar shop. Upon getting in position, Niles noticed that Kamui was uncomfortably crouching at his side, not sure where to place himself adequately. Rolling his visible eye, Niles put a hand on Kamui's upper arm, urging the prince to kneel in front of him; Kamui did as he was told, albeit awkwardly, sidling up under Niles arm.

Satisfied, Niles honed his focus back on the enemy before he got too swept up. Leaning out slightly from behind the wall, he caught sight of the mage approaching one of the statues that decorated the castle garden for cover, still quite far away from their location.

“Can you hit him from here?” Kamui asked quietly, and he felt more than heard Niles chuckle.

“I guess we'll find out,” Niles responded, drawing an arrow from his quiver and threading his bow. Kamui watched unabashedly as Niles' arm muscles tensed, rippling under the force of the tightness of the string, and Kamui was briefly surprised how easily Niles had been able to conform to the new bow Kamui had gifted him. However, what was even more surprising was that Niles had hardly nocked his arrow before he let it fly, immediately striking his target with deadly precision; the whole motion was effortless, as Niles didn't even flinch at the knock-back. With a howl of pain, the mage fell to the ground, dissolving in a mist of purple smoke – no doubt a minion of the fleet at the Bottomless Canyon.

“Whoa,” Kamui couldn't help but breathe out, and he heard Niles release a sigh as well.

“Rough shot, but the bastard's gone, at least,” Niles said, posture relaxing. Glancing down, Niles tested the weight of the bow in his hands. “Gonna have to get used to this.”

Kamui was still awestruck by the prowess Niles displayed, and for the man to seem displeased at how the assassination had gone was baffling to him. He didn't have much time to dwell on the thought, however, since he suddenly felt Niles' hand encircle his waist, pulling him in closer toward the adventurer.

“W-what're you–“

“Shh,” Niles hushed him, and Kamui realized that his eyes were focused on a point in the distance rather than on himself. Kamui recognized that Niles had found another target, and felt ashamed that he'd gotten riled up over nothing more than a bit of close contact.

 _How old am I to be flustering over this?!_ Kamui thought to himself. _Focus on the mission! You can't be slipping up now, Niles is depending on you._

Resolve renewed, Kamui took the initiative to sidle up closer still, Niles' form now completely encompassing Kamui's own – he could practically feel Niles breathe against him. It seemed as though Niles was aching to make a cheeky comment, but controlled himself for the sake of keeping their location undisclosed. From what, Kamui still couldn't discern, but he assumed Niles' eyesight was more keen to far away enemies since his style was that of a sniper rather than a melee fighter.

He thought he was just starting to make out the outline of a foe in the distance when, in the span of a few seconds, Niles' whole body tensed, and he shoved Kamui forward without warning, the prince skidding across the dirt onto his knees in shock.

“Niles?!” Kamui said wildly, trying to keep his voice down as to not alert any nearby enemies. When he righted himself, he was horrified to find Niles brought to his knees, bow held in his outstretched hands in order to block the sword swing of an adversary that had apparently snuck up on them from behind.

“Don't worry about me,” Niles said through gritted teeth, and Kamui could see a smile glinting on his face as his shoulders locked and he began pushing back against the invader. It didn't seem that Niles was having too much trouble shoving his attacker away from him, and as soon as the adventurer was back on his feet, he swept his leg under his opponent, turning the tables by knocking them to the ground, completely defenseless. A boot came down hard on the fallen foe's chest, and a very human sound of pain came from it despite its unnatural state of being. Leaning down closer, Niles drew another arrow from his quiver, grasping it in one hand.

“This is for making a shitty attempt at killing Lord Kamui,” Niles whispered, rearing back and driving the arrow down with an intrepid force into the being's chest; a phantom breath escaped the invader, quickly fading into a purple mist along with the rest of its body. Deed accomplished, Niles righted himself, withdrawing his arrow back into its holder and looking back at Kamui with concern swimming in his deep blue eye. “Are you alright? Sorry for shoving you, but I figured it was either let you be killed or get your lovely little dress dirty.”

Kamui had watched the seen unfold wide-eyed, rattled by how close he'd come to costing Niles his life. No matter how he looked at it, had Niles not sensed the assailant when he did, it was quite possible he would be badly injured or... worse. He mutely nodded.

Around them, the commotion throughout the castle grounds seemed to be dying down, and Kamui picked up on Xander announcing the enemy's retreat in the distance; his whole body relaxed at the news, thankful that they likely wouldn't have to deal with any more sneak-attacks.

“Tch, that was hardly worth fraying my bowstring,” Niles said under his breath, tucking away his equipment.

Meanwhile, Kamui was stepping closer to the white-haired man, pulling the adventurer's cape closer around himself, suddenly very self conscious. He saw Niles raise an eyebrow, but before the man could question him, Kamui had lurched forward, burying his face in Niles' chest.

“...Kamui,” the prince murmured, huddled against the broad torso.

Niles had gone still, stunned by the shorter man's behavior. He kept his hands down by his side, not sure if Kamui expected him to reciprocate the intimacy or if it would just scare him away.

“...What did you say?” Niles settled on, voice even.

“Just 'Kamui' is fine,” Kamui clarified, his face glowing warmly, thankful that Niles couldn't see him. “You don't have to use honorifics for me.”

“My, my,” Niles hummed, and the vibration thrummed through Kamui as well. “What've I done to deserve such an honor?”

“Do I even need to explain it?” Kamui muttered, and Niles could tell Kamui was embarrassed by the underlying defensiveness in his voice.

“Not really, I just wanted to hear you say how you were so incredibly turned on by how I just saved your pretty ass,” Niles said lasciviously, chancing a hand winding around behind Kamui's waist. He heard Kamui suck in a breath, but the prince didn't seem to be ready to dart away, so he allowed himself to explore a bit further.

“Do you have to always ruin the moment? Is that how you get off?” Kamui asked, only half-joking.

“Of course not,” Niles responded, dancing far enough with his hand that he finally reached Kamui's aforementioned ass. “I have much more... let's say, 'unique' interests.”

Kamui swallowed thickly, leaning back just enough to look at Niles' face. “Such as?”

“Well...” Niles began, now bringing his other arm to wrap around the prince, gripping Kamui's lower back and pulling him closer. “I must admit... I'm really into sexy maid outfits.”

The snort that escaped Kamui was both adorable and incredibly obnoxious.

“How undignified,” Niles commented after a beat of silence. “What was that about?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Kamui replied flippantly, giggling under his breath. “I'm just surprised that that's what you're into.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, it's just so... vanilla,” Kamui said, shrugging against Niles.

“Oh? This coming from Prince Vanilla himself,” Niles teased, content just holding Kamui in his arms.

“I'm not saying I'm into anything more extreme, I just thought that you would be.”

“...What did you expect me to be into?” Niles asked hesitantly.

“Hmm...” Kamui hummed, mind whirring. “Asphyxiation? S&M? Bondage, maybe?”

“You assume too much,” Niles said, shaking his head – Kamui could feel the adventurer's stubbly chin rub against his crown. It was oddly sensual. “Though I suppose I'm open to anything. I just happen to have a soft spot for maid outfits, in particular.”

Oh.

Well then.

Kamui blushed heavily as Niles pressed his body flush against his own, feeling the way Niles' hands took the liberty to grip his bottom through the thick cloth of both his maid outfit and the adventurer's cape that was still tied around him.

“...That doesn't feel like a soft spot to me,” Kamui said, brushing against Niles' lower half.

“Whoops, you caught me,” Niles pseudo-lamented, a low chuckle rumbling right next to Kamui's ear. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“N-no, not really...” Kamui replied, swallowing thickly. “But, um, I really don't think we should do this here.”

“Why not? Not into voyeurism, either?” Niles mocked, bunching up the cape in order to more directly grasp Kamui's rear – the squeak he received from Kamui in return was one he filed away to think about later.

“Ah, no, I don't think s-so,” Kamui responded shakily, hating the thought of pulling away but knowing he probably should.

“We could... find out,” Niles said lowly, swooping down and biting down hard on the tip of Kamui's ear, at the same time grabbing a palmful of the prince's ass in each hand. Even through his gloves, Niles could detect the lacy swatch of fabric underneath Kamui's dress, and he nearly got dizzy from arousal.

“Um, N-Niles, you're–”

“Are you seriously wearing panties?” Niles cut him off, massaging the sensitive cheeks in his hands to get a better feel, though there wasn't much left to the imagination. “You can't possibly expect me to believe this is part of the assigned outfit. You just like having on lacy underwear, don't you? Maybe you aren't as vanilla as I thought you were.”

“O-of course I didn't choose to wear these!” Kamui finally found the strength to retaliate, locking his elbows and shoving off of Niles far enough that he could look the taller man in the face. “I'm not a pervert like _you_.”

“Oh? You're not, are you?” Niles teased, using the grip he had on Kamui's behind to bring him forward, the white-haired man's knee delving between Kamui's own; Kamui didn't even realize that he'd been cornered until his back hit the wall of the Einherjar shop they'd taken shelter behind. Niles slyly rubbed his knee against Kamui's growing arousal, relishing in the whine it earned him. “I think _this_ says otherwise.”

“Well of course I'd be like this!” Kamui exclaimed, affronted, voice hitching as he roughly gripped onto Niles' upper arms and looked up at him through a glassy gaze. “It's because _you're_ doing these things to me!”

Niles paused, taking in Kamui's flushed face, misty eyes, and overall disheveled state – he'd singlehandedly reduced the prince to an embarrassed puddle. Niles narrowed his eye, leveling his gaze onto the shorter man.

“So you're saying that if someone else were to do _this_ ,” Niles leaned over, giving a rough bite to Kamui's neck, “or _this_ ,” Niles lifted up the hem of Kamui's dress further, slipping his hand inside the back of the lacy underwear and gripping the fleshy globes roughly, “or _this_ ,” Niles levied his knee higher, practically making Kamui sit on his thigh, “to you, you wouldn't be aroused, because it wasn't me?”

Kamui was near-completely checked out at this point, mind hazy, heart pounding, mouth watering, face on fire – he'd barely caught the gist of what Niles was saying, but he was fairly confident that he'd caught enough to respond accurately enough.

“Y-yes,” Kamui huffed, voice lilted with arousal. “It has to be you.”

“Why?”

“B-because – ahh!” Kamui stuttered as his weight shifted against Niles' leg, unintentionally causing friction. “B-because I really... ah... I...”

“Speak up, I can't hear you.”

“Niles– _please_ –”

“Tell me what you want to say, _Kamui_.”

“I–!”

“Niles! Kamui! Are you over here?!” The sound of Leo's voice reached the pair's ears at the same time, but it only seemed to rattle Kamui. Niles, on the other hand, simply heaved a long-suffering sigh, disentangling from the prince who seemed as though he could barely support his weight on his shaky knees.

“Fuck,” he heard Niles curse, but in his heady state, Kamui barely registered what he'd said, so over-stimulated by his other senses. Niles seemed to pick up on the fact that Kamui was still in the process of remembering his own name, so he helped the prince to gather himself before his brother discovered them in this condition. Straightening up the prince's disheveled outfit, Niles chuckled. “You're tantalizingly helpless, you know that?”

“W-what?” Kamui replied hazily, as Niles' every touch stoked the bonfire of sensations he'd been experiencing no more than ten seconds ago.

“I said you should probably give me back my cape,” Niles responded, beginning to unwind the cloth from around Kamui's neck. “I need to have some way to hide the little _problem_ you gave me.”

“O-oh!” Kamui suddenly sprang into action, practically ripping the fabric trying to get it off of his body as he heard the hoofbeats of Leo's stallion approaching their location. “D-do I look okay?”

 _Like you weren't just about to be fucked?_ Niles thought to himself.

“...Yes,” Niles said, none too convincingly, but in Kamui's addled state, he wasn't of the mind to pick up on it.

“There you two are!” Leo addressed the duo as he rounded the corner, hopping down from his horse gracefully. “Are you both okay? Did you meet any trouble?”

“No, Milord, we were able to handle the adversaries without issue,” Niles responded, a disingenuous look glinting in his eye. If Leo picked up on it, he didn't comment.

“Excellent news,” Leo said, shifting his attention to Kamui who still looked a bit dazed. “I suppose you're alright, as well?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine!” Kamui assured, tucking a bit of errant hair behind his ear – he had to smother a blush that threatened to arise when he realized it was still sore from Niles' bite. “Everything went well.”

“Good to hear, I'm glad that Niles was able to protect you,” Leo affirmed, obviously suspicious but not voicing it. It appeared that he could care less about he and Niles' affairs as long as Kamui was safe, if Niles' evaluation was correct – which it always was when it came to Leo. Leo may be the child prodigy, but Niles was an expert at the art of reading people, especially so when it came to his prissy liege. “Well, if you two are unharmed, would you like to join the group for a celebratory dinner? We'd planned on hosting it in honor of the class changes as it was, but even a small victory such as this deserves a reward as well.”

“That sounds nice, Leo, but I'd really rather retire for the night,” Kamui said to his brother, face still shrouded by a healthy glow; the adrenaline from nearly being caught hadn't worn off in the slightest. “I'll see you both later.”

Without another word, Kamui nearly sprinted off toward the direction of his quarters, only slowed by the clunky nature of his heeled shoes.

“Rude of him to not thank you for your protection, was it not?” Leo said after a moment, glancing toward Niles who hadn't stripped his gaze away from where Kamui disappeared. Niles shrugged.

“I didn't deserve it – we only encountered two enemies,” Niles responded nonchalantly.

“Ah, I see,” Leo said, turning to ostensibly remount his horse, but he paused and looked over his shoulder with a smirk. “Though, it could be perhaps he was a bit cross with you for leaving such a noticeable mark on his neck.”

Niles froze.

“But that's none of my business,” Leo continued, shrugging and climbing onto his horse. “I would advise trying to urge Kamui to keep his volume down if you plan on taking this any further, however. That lewd voice of his could be heard clear across the camp – just something to keep in mind since I've heard you're planning to meet with him in his quarters later.”

Niles was still silent.

“Nothing to say? My, isn't this a first,” Leo chuckled. “I suppose you're a bit surprised that I'm so willing to let this little affair continue, hm? Well, truthfully, I'm an advocate of any relationship Kamui chooses to pursue as long as his partner is aware of just how simple it would be for me to obliterate them should they happen to betray him – and I'm certain that you're more than acquainted with that fact, which makes my job much easier... Oh, I really should be getting to the banquet now, shouldn't I? Nice talking with you, Niles.”

And just like that, Leo was gone.

And so was Niles' boner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo is the type of guy that's like "that's not my business" but then takes over as CEO. (he's such a nerd I love him)
> 
> Rating change, if you NOHRIAN SCUM didn't already notice. Strap in kiddos, it's only going to get filthier from here on out.
> 
> ALSO if any of you would like to visit my castle, here's my address: 02824-15260-39474-80718
> 
> Feel free to drop by and I'll try to visit you back asap! (ALSO FIGHT ME Niles is my strongest unit obvs but I'm playing on phoenix mode so that should be a good indicator of my not-skill)


	6. just guys being bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if you don't want to read about two guys diddling their dangles (in a strictly platonic way of course) then this is not the chapter for you
> 
> EXPLICIT rating is there for a reason my friends

The trek back from the Einherjar shop to his private quarters felt like an eternity to Kamui, and as soon as he made it through the door to his room, he slammed it shut behind him, trying to catch his breath and calm his nerves.

He'd never been so mortified in his life. He could hardly believe he'd been seconds away from being caught in that situation by his younger brother. Had it not been for Niles maintaining a clear head, Kamui was sure he'd be a melted puddle of shame at Leo's feet by now. Then again, he wouldn't have even _been_ at risk for being caught like that if it weren't for Niles. After all, the archer had been the one to instigate the flirting and touching and teasing and groping... but Kamui hadn't exactly tried to stop him, had he?

The prince heaved a sigh, feeling tremors of arousal stirring down below, and his whole body heated as he realized that he was still hard.

He glanced down.

Just as he thought, his dress was shamelessly tented around his crotch area, despite not being stimulated for some minutes now. Niles had obviously had more of an effect on him that he first thought; he'd just never expected to have such an intimate moment with the man, not right after narrowly avoiding a attempt on his life and certainly not while wearing a dress.

But... Niles did say he was fond of maid outfits. The mere thought of the white-haired man and the encounter they'd had not ten minutes prior sent a shiver of arousal through Kamui, renewing the turgid ache in his lower region. He bit his lip, pushing off of the door to stumble over to his bed to at least have the comfort of sitting down on something soft. He managed without much trouble, but it was an incredibly stilted attempt, and he flopped back onto his mattress with a stuttering exhale.

In his haste, he realized that his dress had pooled around his waist, exposing his very-much-still-there erection to the cool air of his bedroom, and Kamui nearly whined out loud at the way it strained against his textured underwear. Niles flashed through his mind once again, and he wondered briefly what the archer would think if he saw Kamui like this.

This time, Kamui did moan outwardly, his voice escaping into the otherwise quiet atmosphere of his room.

He felt so dirty, thinking about such things while he was in a position like this, but it was made worse by how much his body was reacting to his fantasy – it was almost painful, how tumescent he'd become.

He tried to think of something else, anything that would will away the unwanted guest, but whatever revolting image he tried to come up with was too blurry and couldn't hold a candle to the tantalizing memory of the smoldering look Niles had given him, pressed so close against his body, deep voice echoing in his ear, knee kneading his length, arms entrapping him and surrounding him with his scent and pinning him against the wall and–

“Ahhmpph!” Kamui let out a wanton whine, turning over onto his stomach and muffling the embarrassing noise into his comforter. Unfortunately, that only made the problem worse, as the silky sweep of the bedsheets against his groin caused a titillating friction that felt far better than Kamui thought it had any right to. He subconsciously moved his hips once more, biting into the sheets as the same sensation rippled through him.

 _This is so... perverted_ , Kamui thought, mind hazy with lust. His eyebrows bunched, breath hitching as his hips raised and he was tabled onto his knees – the change in position made him feel incredibly exposed, which, oddly enough, only served to heighten his excitement.

He experimented with the new elevation, deciding to take the plunge after much deliberation and slide a hand down his torso, toying with the band of his panties and raking a finger across his erection. He swallowed thickly, using two digits to apply more pressure, then three, then four, and finally using his whole hand to rub across himself, releasing a shuddering breath at the contact.

_Niles probably wouldn't be impressed, though. I'm sure he's seen far more deviant things than this._

Steeling himself, Kamui ventured a bit farther, dancing across his perineum and moaning at the contact with his nether regions. He'd never done anything like this before; he'd been far too distracted and preoccupied with his war-related duties to consider exploring his sexual needs, but he certainly had Niles to thank – or blame, rather – for waking this fantastically perverse side of him.

Speaking of the white-haired man, he was all Kamui could think about as his strokes got longer and broader, encompassing a brush against the front of his arousal all the way to treading the brim of his entrance. Each time he'd venture that far back, he'd give a subtle press downward, feeling the shockwave of sensations jolt through him and abashedly picturing that it was Niles eliciting these responses from him instead. He could hardly imagine what it'd feel like to actually probe deeper if simply skirting the rim could bring about such a strong reaction.

He was still deliberating whether or not he should remove the barrier of his thin black undergarments when there was suddenly a knock at the door.

“Kamui? Um, sorry to bother you, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” It was Silas' voice that came through the door, and Kamui was thanking every deity his mind could conjure that the man hadn't simply barged in on him. “I couldn't find you during the invasion, and then I saw you hurrying back here rather than going to the banquet with everyone else. You're not hurt, are you?”

Kamui's whole body had frozen upon hearing the knocking, but he quickly shifted gears and began untucking his legs from underneath himself when he realized who'd come to speak with him, righting himself and smoothing out his dress – the tent caused by his erection was more than apparent, however.

“I-I'm fine!” Kamui replied shakily, and he nearly cursed at the headiness of his voice. He cleared his throat, trying again. “I was just really tired after everything that's gone on today, so I didn't think I'd have much fun at the dinner party.”

“Oh... Well, I'm glad you made it through the fight okay, regardless,” Silas said, tone amiable. There was a pause, and then, “Do you mind if I come in?”

Kamui actually did curse this time.

“Um, w-well, I really am exhausted after all the excitement that's been going on... Would you mind just coming back tomorrow?” Kamui asked back, feeling awful denying Silas after the uncomfortable incident in the cafeteria earlier today. But, with the state he was in, there was hardly any way he could reasonably allow Silas to see him. As it was, Kamui's hair was still disheveled, cheeks still flushed, eyes still glassy – oh, and his dick was still straining against his panties, desperately begging him for attention. Can't forget about that.

“I understand, but please, can I just talk to you for a minute?” Silas asked, and Kamui could practically hear the puppy-dog eyes in his voice. He was so weak to Silas' ridiculously effective pleading expression, even when he couldn't see it. “I swear I won't keep you long.”

“...Okay, just give me a moment!” Kamui called back against his better judgment, trying to smooth his hair down to the best of his ability, but the real problem lied in how he was going to get his relentless erection to deflate, or at least how to disguise it. He tugged down on his dress in the front, quickly discovering that if he kept it under wraps, it wasn't noticeable amongst the frilliness of his skirt and apron. He sat back on his bed, re-tucking his legs underneath him and arranging the dress between his thighs, shielding his embarrassing condition from view. Swallowing his nervousness, Kamui tried to look as casual as possible, taking a deep breath and turning back toward the door. “A-alright, come in!”

Silas stepped through the threshold a moment later, smiling fondly as he laid eyes on Kamui.

“Thank you for allowing me to speak with you tonight, there's just really something I wanted to...” Silas trailed off, face falling as he apparently caught sight of something on Kamui's person. Kamui was instantly tense, sure that his friend had already seen what he was trying so desperately to hide, a million excuses racing through his mind all at once that he could possibly give Silas to explain why he was rock hard alone in his room. However, Silas continued with, “...What is that on your neck?”

Kamui's hands instantly left the hem of his skirt, cuffing them around both sides of his neck, his whole face heating – he knew what it was immediately.

 _You marked me on purpose, you possessive pervert_ , Kamui thought to himself, flashing back to the rough bite Niles had bestowed on him a little while ago. It was no surprise that it'd left a bruise, but Kamui was far too caught up in the sensations at the time to tell Niles it probably wasn't the best idea to leave a mark that basically tagged him as unavailable.

Kamui witnessed several emotions race across Silas' face before he could come up with a decent response, and the cavalier's expression seemed to settle on something between surprise and... jealousy?

“O-oh, you mean, um, the red mark, right?” Kamui began, trying to play off his embarrassment nonchalantly but succeeding only about as well as he'd anticipated before he'd even opened his mouth. He trudged onward, however, not willing to give up without a fight. “It's nothing, really, I just got hit by... uh, a javelin, d-during the invasion, you know? I'm fine, though, it just left a bit of a bruise.”

“...Okay,” Silas said finally, skepticism bleeding from his voice. “So you got hit by a javelin and it only left a two inch bruise? Most people who get hit with those don't live to tell the tale if they're struck on the neck.”

“Well, um, the enemy wasn't very strong, and I didn't get hit directly, it only scraped by me,” Kamui explained half-heartedly, not meeting Silas' eyes. “You see, ah, Niles was there to protect me, and he was able to divert the weapon before it hit me head-on, so–”

“Niles?” Silas echoed, tone suddenly hostile. “You were with Niles the whole time?”

Kamui was thankful for the tangent, but he couldn't quite place why the idea of Niles being his guardian was so distressing. Of course, Kamui was well aware that there was some sort of tension between the two of them, but Kamui had assumed it was just because Silas was feeling instinctively protective of his best friend since they'd been apart for so long before and Niles _was_ a bit of a shady character.

“Well, yeah, I was,” Kamui responded, hands falling away from his neck and reassuming their position in his lap; he was chagrined to find that even after all the back-and-forth, his erection was still awake and perky in his lap. Kamui shifted subtly, making sure he was situated where it wasn't obvious as he continued. “Leo assigned him to be my bodyguard since I hadn't gotten any weapons yet.”

“Why didn't he come and find me?” Silas questioned, partially to himself. “I'm sure he knew that I would've been more than happy to protect you.”

“I appreciate the thought, Silas, but it really wasn't necessary,” Kamui reassured him, smiling at his friend. His gaze softened as he thought back to how Niles had taken the brunt of the opponent's attack who'd snuck up on them in order to save his life. “...Niles was perfectly capable. He didn't allow a single enemy to hurt me.”

“Probably just because Leo threatened to off him if he did,” Silas said in an accusatory tone. “You know that that guy doesn't care about anyone but your younger brother.”

“That's not true!” Kamui retorted, startling not only Silas, but also himself by his forceful tone. Nonetheless, Kamui shot an angered look at his shocked friend. “Niles cares about a lot of people, he just has a hard time expressing himself because of what happened to him in the past. Of course, you probably have no idea what he's been through since you've never even tried to talk with him – you two always start bickering whenever you're within ten feet of each other.”

“I don't do it because I want to start a fight with him!” Silas exclaimed, huffing an irritated sigh. He crossed his arms, looking away from the prince. “He's just... so hard to have a civil conversation with. I've never been in contact with someone who was always trying to get a rise out of me. I guess I should have thicker skin...”

“...No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that,” Kamui relented. “I will admit that his personality is a bit hard to get used to, I guess I just wish you wouldn't think so lowly of him. He really is an interesting person to be around once you learn his... ah, let's say, 'quirks.' You know that I wouldn't have given him the time of day if he was truly intolerable.”

“I suppose...” Silas said, uncrossing his arms and giving Kamui a calculating look. “Do you really think we could get along?”

“You'll never know if you don't try,” Kamui replied, overcome with a wistful demeanor. “I would really love to be able to eat lunch with the both of you without you being at each others' throats.”

“Man, you're really all about this idea of 'world peace,' aren't you?” Silas teased, a smirk present on his face.

“Of course I am, why would you even ask that?” Kamui retorted, enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere.

“Well, what if I told you that I'm planning on starting a rebellion against you?” Silas inquired, casually stepping closer to where the prince was still seated on his bed.

“I'd say you're either lying, or you've finally gone off the deep end,” Kamui replied with a short chuckle.

“You really should take threats like this more seriously...” Silas began with a playful tone, and Kamui could sense that this was building up to something, but he was in the dark about what his friend could possibly be insinuating. “...Or you might get attacked when you least expect it!”

Before Kamui had a chance to process what Silas was talking about, the other man had suddenly pounced on him, tackling him onto the bed and obviously intending to start a friendly wrestling match. Kamui remembered them getting into tussles like this when they were much younger – Silas would instigate a pinning contest, and they'd play-fight for a bit before Silas would usually come out the victor, at the time being much taller and broader than Kamui himself.

Now, not much had changed – Silas was just as physically imposing as he had been back then, and this time, Kamui had the added handicap of being prone in a too-short dress, still feeling over-stimulated from the session he'd been interrupted in the middle of. His heart leapt into his throat as his sides were grabbed, mattress squeaking as he was flipped over and moved into a position where he could easily be held down.

“S-Silas, wait!” Kamui said weakly, attempting to wiggle his way out of Silas' range, but the other man took it as a response to his provocation, which only prompted him to continue his pursuit.

“Giving up so soon, Mr. World Peace?” Silas teased, laughing jovially as he finally got the prince in a position where he could pin his wrists above his head which – just as it did when they were a decade younger – decided the winner. “You used to put up more of a fight back when...”

Silas' hearty laughter trailed off as he slowly registered the sight below him, Kamui spread out beneath him on the comforter, wrists held captive in Silas' grip, face consumed in a healthy blush and cerise eyes looking up at him in trepidation. But what really caught Silas' attention was what had been revealed to him after the struggle had resulted in Kamui's skirt being pushed up beyond his waist.

“Silas...” Kamui addressed him timidly, legs shifting slightly from where Silas was sitting between them. “I-I'm really sorry, I-I didn't know how to tell you–”

“Are you–“ Silas began, cutting Kamui off, swallowing thickly. His own face had become a bright scarlet. “Are you like that because... because of me?”

“N-no! I-It, um... happened before you got here, a-and I didn't want to turn you away, so I just tried to hide it so you wouldn't be, um, uncomfortable,” Kamui explained nervously, wrists twisting around in Silas' grip, wondering why the taller man hadn't let go of him yet.

“...I would never be uncomfortable around you, Kamui,” Silas said, tone dropping lower than before. The grip on Kamui's wrists subtly tightened, and it seemed as though the cavalier's breathing got a bit heavier.

“Um...” Kamui gave another subtle tug against the hands that held his wrists, and the cavalier's eyes languidly rose to meet the prince's. “Can you... can you let me go now? I, ah, think you're the winner.”

“...Oh, yeah,” Silas cleared his throat loudly, hesitating before releasing his hold on Kamui. He sat back on his knees, looking down at Kamui who was still spread before him, making for quite the erotic picture. His eyed lidded, and he could feel sparks of arousal alight through his torso.

Meanwhile, Kamui shyly pushed his dress down between his thighs and rose up a bit to prop himself up on his elbows, locking his knees on either side of Silas to pull his body into a sitting position. It was an uncomfortable angle, considering Silas had apparently forgotten that he was still an obstacle in the process of Kamui untangling from him and was simply watching as Kamui struggled to move amidst the stack of frills compacting his lower half.

“Could you maybe scoot back a bit more, please?” Kamui requested finally, getting a bit impatient at Silas' uncharacteristic uncooperativeness.

“O-oh, of course, sorry,” Silas stuttered out, removing himself completely from Kamui's space, dismounting the bed and taking several steps back from where the prince had finally managed to pull himself up. Kamui huffed as he righted himself, making sure his dress was neatly tucked between his knees to avoid making the situation even more awkward; though, at this point, there was really no salvaging the moment.

“...So, um... what did you need to talk to me about?” Kamui inquired after a beat of silence, remembering that Silas requesting a chat had been the sole cause of this whole encounter. Silas seemed to snap out of a trance, blinking rapidly and standing up a bit straighter.

“Oh, ah, yeah, honestly, I kind of forgot,” Silas admitted, scratching the back of his neck and looking anywhere but the prince. “M-maybe I'll think of it tomorrow. I'll just, um, leave for now, since it's getting late anyway. Thanks for having me over.”

Silas' speech was stilted, and it didn't take a genius to deduce that he was bluffing. But Kamui didn't dare call him out on it – he was just as eager for Silas to leave as the man himself.

“Alright, then. Sleep well!” Kamui called after him, and he flinched when Silas practically slammed the door shut in his haste to exit.

Outside in the cooler night air, Silas took a moment to breathe deeply, feeling incredibly hot all over his body. The evening breeze blew past his warm cheeks, making him shiver at the sharp contrast.

 _What the hell was that all about?!_ Silas berated himself in his head, stepping away from Kamui's door with a hand concealing his mouth. _Why was I acting so damn awkward?! I could've just laughed it off! But I nearly..._

Silas stopped himself before he could continue his thought, his face blazing in embarrassment. He shook his head in aggravation, groaning to himself as he hurriedly ventured down the stairs leading up to Kamui's quarters.

_I nearly... kissed him._

So shaken by the idea, Silas paid no mind to his surroundings, inevitably causing him to collide with something in his path. He stumbled back briefly, hearing a grunt from the source of the interception, and he realized he'd just walked into someone moving at a fairly brisk pace.

“Ah, excuse me, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going,” Silas apologized, squinting through the darkness in an attempt to make out who he'd run into. It didn't take much sleuthing before he recognized the shock of white hair and tall build of the enigmatic archer that he just couldn't seem to stop butting heads with – this time, quite literally.

“Apparently,” Niles responded, and Silas could now easily see the piercing blue gaze directed toward him through the nighttime atmosphere. “What's got you so distracted?”

“Why should I tell–“ Silas began to quip back, but halted himself when he thought back on his conversation with Kamui. He was itching to say something provoking, but when he stopped to consider it, there was really no reason that he should be so unpleasant to Niles. Sure, he wasn't too fond of his flirtatious disposition, and the way he spoke in rude innuendoes consistently got under his skin, but otherwise, Niles hadn't particularly done anything reprehensible to him, nor anyone else. In fact, Silas had to admit that Niles was nothing but an asset to the team, and someone that the entire unit – save a few – seemed to put the upmost trust in. And Kamui really did seem to like him, bitter as the idea left him. So, taking a step back, Silas rephrased himself. “I mean – nothing, really, just daydreaming, I guess. What're you doing out here?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?” Niles smirked, and Silas could practically feel his tolerance levels nosedive into the danger zone. However, before Silas could get too wound up, Niles continued. “No matter, I'm just out for a stroll. I thought about stopping by to visit the prince before it got too late, considering our meeting was postponed in favor of fighting off some pathetic thieves.”

 _That's rich, coming from you_ , Silas thought to himself, so badly wanting to say it out loud, but biting his tongue in order to keep the peace.

“...I see,” Silas settled on, proud of himself for keeping control, and that's when Kamui's... _condition_ came to mind. Surely he wasn't still..? But what if he was? There's no way Silas could risk Niles walking in on Kamui in that state – Niles had the moral compass of a rabbit and a comparable libido, if the scandalous stories Silas had heard about the man were to be believed. Silas couldn't decide whether to blush or go pallid at the thought of what would happen if Niles encountered Kamui like Silas had left him. “B-but you can't go to his room tonight. He's... uh, really tired.”

“Is he? How do you know?” Niles inquired, and the sly lilt to his voice only served to irritate Silas even more.

_Kamui may just have to forget about me and this guy getting along._

“Because I just left his room,” Silas replied.

“Hmm,” Niles hummed, seeming to gauge Silas for a moment – the cavalier stood rigid under his gaze. “He seemed perfectly fine when he was with me a while ago.”

“Well, maybe it's your fault that he's so exhausted,” Silas couldn't help but retort. “I heard about how you were put in charge of keeping watch over him during the invasion, so I'm sure he was left to mostly defend himself. It's no wonder he's about to collapse, having to fight off enemies with no weapons or reliable backup.”

Niles' demeanor darkened briefly, but he kept his calm, face set in an even regard.

“I can assure you he was _thoroughly_ protected,” Niles said, suggestive undertones adorning his words. “You know, despite how vilely you think of me, I take my position very seriously, and I'd never allow harm to come to any of the royal family.”

“So you were just acting out of obligation, then?” Silas countered.

“I can't exactly deny that, considering I was technically under the order of Lord Leo to keep him safe,” Niles said. “But I was prepared to lay my life on the line for him regardless of whether or not Milord implored me to.”

“I highly doubt that,” Silas said skeptically, arms crossing.

“Doubt whatever you want, it's really none of my concern,” Niles responded. Considering the conversation moot, he moved forward to step around Silas, heading in the direction of Kamui's room.

“W-wait, didn't you hear what I said?” Silas darted in front of Niles once more, pushing the man back as far as he could – which, admittedly, wasn't much. “Kamui doesn't want to be disturbed tonight!”

“I wasn't planning on disturbing him, I just wanted to have a friendly chat about how the invasion went,” Niles responded sardonically, grinning at Silas' disgruntled expression.

“You know what I meant,” Silas said. “Can't you just take my word for it that Kamui isn't up to talking right now?”

“I _could_ , but what would be the fun in that?” Niles asked rhetorically, pushing past Silas and beginning to descend the stairs to Kamui's quarters.

“Wait– stop!” Silas called after him, grabbing onto the adventurer's arm. Steeling himself, Silas gave a tug on the elbow in his grip. “Don't take another step.”

“...Are you threatening me?” Niles asked, glowering at the shorter man. Silas didn't back down, however, shooting Niles a dirty look in return.

“Yes,” Silas said firmly, stance defensive in case Niles decided to lash out. “Look, just turn around and go back to your barracks, okay? I really don't want to fight with you.”

“You say that like it would even be worthy of being called a fight, but I'd have nothing to gain from causing a scene with you, either,” Niles scoffed, wrenching his arm from Silas' grip and turning to him directly. His face was shadowed by the light coming from Kamui's room, bright blue eye shining in the glow. “I wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours. Not to mention it would certainly land me on Kamui's bad side if I hurt you...”

“I'm really trying to work with you here, so can't you do as I ask for once? _Please_?” Silas said emphatically, hoping that Niles would just drop the subject and go back to his own quarters.

“Well, since you said please...” Niles feigned a thoughtful look. “ _No_. Now stop pestering me.”

“I won't let you go to see Kamui tonight!” Silas continued, resolve staying strong even though it seemed that Niles was insistent. Circling around in front of the man once more, Silas fanned his arms to the side, blocking the archer's path up to Kamui's room. Silas and Niles locked eyes, forest meeting ocean.

“...Fine,” Niles said after regarding Silas for a moment, and the tension present around them dissipated almost instantly. “I'll leave.”

“You will?” Silas asked in disbelief, still rightly suspicious. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I'm bored of arguing with you,” Niles responded simply, shrugging. “And if he is really as tired as you say, I wouldn't want to be the one to interrupt his beauty sleep.”

“...Right,” Silas said, lowering his arms but not his guard. He couldn't believe that Niles would give up like that – he'd certainly mentally and physically prepared himself to have an altercation with the other man if it came down to it.

“Goodnight, then,” Niles dismissed, turning on his heel and strolling away from Silas casually. Silas watched him disappear into the darkness, perplexed as to why Niles would've given up picking on Silas with hardly any provocation – it was practically his favorite pastime.

But the fact was that Niles was gone, and Silas was left – once again – standing alone in the cool night air right outside Kamui's room.

“What a weird night,” Silas said to himself, heaving a sigh as he descended the stairs.

He still couldn't get the picture of Kamui out of his head. That cute look on his face... that disheveled maid outfit... those _panties_. Silas really needed to get back to his own room before he ended up with a hard-on standing at the castle square in the middle of the night.

A single deep blue eye watched the cavalier scurry off in the direction of his barracks, and a smirk followed soon after.

_He's even more gullible than I thought if he really believed I was going to give up on visiting Kamui tonight._

Niles stepped out from the shadows, but remained within the overcast of the Dusk Armory that he'd chosen to hide behind until he was sure that his surroundings were still. He could faintly hear sounds of merriment echoing in the distance – the Mess Hall, he assumed, since that's where the celebratory post-battle banquets were usually held – but otherwise, it was a peacefully quiet night.

Skirting the edge of the building, Niles swiftly and quietly made his move, darting around in the darkness until he made it back to the stairs leading up to Kamui's quarters. He made quick work of ascending the steps, debating with himself briefly if he should knock or just take his chances and barge in. He knew Kamui probably wouldn't appreciate an unannounced intrusion, no matter who had come to visit him, so with a short sigh, Niles rapped on the door.

“...Silas?” Niles heard Kamui address from inside after a moment, a curious tone lacing the name.

“Guess again,” Niles said back in a low octave, deep voice slicing through the atmosphere.

“Niles?!” Kamui sounded much more alarmed this time, and Niles could hear a distinct shift of fabric and a _thunk!_ as something apparently weighty hit the floor. The next sound Niles picked up on was Kamui groaning softly, and the archer raised an eyebrow.

 _Did he seriously just fall out of bed?_ Niles chuckled to himself.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Niles asked, voice tinged with amusement.

“N-no! Hold on, I'll be there in a moment!” Kamui said back, and there were more sounds of fabric being moved around before the door Niles had been communicating through swung open, a very disheveled-looking Kamui being the next thing to greet the archer's eye.

“Good afternoon,” Niles said, a patronizing smile on his face.

“Hello,” Kamui said warily, clearing his throat and smoothing out his dress. “Um, not that I'm unhappy to see you, but... what're you doing here so late? Shouldn't you be at the banquet?”

“You know I'm not one much for formal get-togethers like that,” Niles responded, examining Kamui's unkempt state but choosing not to comment on it for now. “As for why I'm here... well, to quote you, 'it doesn't exactly take a scholar.'”

 _When did I say that?_ Kamui thought to himself. He scanned through any conversation he could remember having recently, and after a moment, he briefly recalled himself saying those words to Keaton earlier that day in the berry field.

“You... I knew I felt someone watching me and Keaton!” Kamui said, cheeks heating soon after when he realized that Niles most likely saw the... _incident_. “Um... How long were you there?”

“Long enough to see that mutt put his hands on you,” Niles replied, and his countenance sobered. “At least he had enough sense to turn-tail when saw me.”

“That was you that scared him off?” Kamui questioned, remembering the horrified look that had overcome Keaton seemingly at random and how the Wolfskin had taken off like he'd been about to be attacked. Kamui furrowed his brow, crossing his arms. “That was a bit rude of you.”

“Have you _met_ me?” Niles scoffed, stepping forward and causing Kamui to consequently take a step back into the doorway. “Because if you had, you'd know that I'm not exactly the most sugarcoated person on the block. And that I'm also not someone who very much enjoys watching other people put their hands on you.”

Kamui suddenly found himself being shuffled backwards as Niles invited himself into Kamui's personal space, moving completely into the prince's quarters and shutting the door behind them. The next thing Kamui was aware of were a pair of arms slinking around his waist, pulling him in toward a warm, muscular body, and he was instantly reminded of the encounter he and Niles had had earlier. They were practically in the same position, but this time, in the privacy of their own company with a slim chance of anyone stopping by to interrupt them.

 _This is dangerous..._ Kamui thought to himself, but he couldn't help but let his body relax into the adventurer's hold. He clutched the fabric on Niles' cape, nuzzling his face into the increasingly familiar scent of firewood. He could feel Niles chuckle against him, and Kamui made a noise of intrigue, too comfortable to bother forming words at the moment.

“Someone certainly is complacent tonight,” Niles said, running his hands down Kamui's back.

“Well, this is... nice,” Kamui replied honestly, face reddening at the confession. “I would guess you're fond of it, too, since you keep instigating this.”

“Anything for an excuse to be so close to you,” Niles replied, and Kamui was touched by the sincerity in the man's voice.

...And the next thing he was touched by were Niles' hands on his ass.

“What you meant was, 'anything for an excuse to feel you up,' right?” Kamui retorted, breath hitching at the way Niles' fingers constricted over his cheeks.

“Do you want the honest answer, or the romantic answer?” Niles asked teasingly, pulling back a bit to gaze at Kamui with a smirk. He almost laughed at the way Kamui's nose crinkled at the question.

“What could possibly be the romantic answer?” Kamui asked. Niles' eye lidded, and he leaned closer to the prince's ear, placing a ghost of a kiss right next to Kamui's chin – when Niles spoke, Kamui could feel his lips move against his skin.

“I can't keep my hands to myself when I'm around you,” Niles said huskily, accentuating his words with another kiss to Kamui's jawline. “Because everything about you is so beautiful, I want to get to know every inch... _intimately_.”

“...You really need to stop reading Leo's romance novels,” Kamui murmured after a moment, but his voice was quavering. He'd be lying if he said he was unaffected. “That was horribly cheesy.”

“Aw, here I was thinking you were all about sentimentalities,” Niles responded, not leaving the area he'd chosen to pay special attention to, which just so happened to be the exact spot he'd left his mark before. “I guess if you're not interested in hearing how gorgeous I think you are, then you must be into a more physical approach, hmm?”

“Y-you think I'm gorgeous?” Kamui asked, but Niles didn't seem interested in answering him at the moment; in lieu of responding, Niles urged their bodies backward, steering them toward the bed near the corner of the room. Kamui felt the back of his knees hit the mattress, and he gave a startled yelp as he fell back with Niles looming over him.

“Everyone does,” Niles said, rolling his visible eye. “Why do you think all your friends collectively lost their minds when they saw you in that outfit today? It wasn't because they only just now realized you were appealing, I can assure you.”

“I thought it was just because they wanted to tease me about the dress...” Kamui said, glancing to the side.

“Well, that, too,” Niles said. “But it's only because you make it so easy for them. Your reactions are always so entertaining and cute, not to mention you hardly ever give them a reason to quit. Like Keaton, for example – he put his filthy paws all over you today and you didn't even give him a warning... you can't imagine how much I've wanted to get that dog's scent off of you since then.”

“D-don't you think it's probably been gone since... ah, you know... um, earlier?” Kamui reasoned, shifting his knees that were still caged in under Niles.

“I may have covered it up, but it's not gone until I replace it,” Niles said, bringing one hand up to meet Kamui's, threading their fingers as he bit down on a place along Kamui's jawline that hadn't been marked. With his other hand, Niles brushed against Kamui's upper thigh, lingering around where the hem of his dress met the band of his stockings. “He touched you here, didn't he?”

Kamui felt Niles' warm breath ghost over the mark he'd just made, making him shiver at the chilly sensation.

“Y-yeah...” Kamui admitted, beginning to really enjoy all the attention. Niles was so... _sensual_ ; it was like each and every word that came from that lewd mouth of his made Kamui's heart beat a little faster.

“A good place to start then,” Niles said, and Kamui felt the archer's large hand stretch the material of his stocking against his leg as it slid under the cloth. Niles' fingers inched along the edge of the band until his digits reached that back of Kamui's thigh, and Niles used the leverage to pull Kamui's leg up, positioning it around the taller man's waist. “...You're breathing pretty heavily. You're not going to pass out on me, are you?”

Kamui, meanwhile, was incredibly blissed out, not sure what he should be focusing on: the mouth on his neck, the hand on his thigh, the body towering over his, the deep voice by his ear? Probably the last, since Niles was apparently asking him a question.

“I-I'm fine, just feeling a little...” Kamui swallowed thickly, racking his brain for an adequate adjective until his psyche landed on one he'd heard Niles use on the battlefield. “...Overstimulated.”

Niles paused his ministrations, proceeding to chuckle against the prince's throat and pull back slightly to grin at him.

“You think you're real clever, don't you? Quoting me like that,” Niles shook his head, and Kamui was oddly in tune to every swaying motion of the archer's snow white hair.

“Why not? You quoted me,” Kamui retorted, mind defogging a bit at the reprieve from all the heavy petting.

“You know, if we keep copying each other's phrases like this, people might start thinking we're a couple,” Niles said suggestively.

“...You're joking, right?” Kamui asked.

“I never joke,” Niles responded, and at Kamui's unimpressed look, Niles clarified, “about things like this.”

“You don't think the fact that I've got my leg around your waist and you've left two marks on–“

“Three.”

“...Three marks on my neck might hint that we're a _little_  closer than friends?” Kamui finished, blushing a bit at his own reasoning.

“Aw, are you asking me out?” Niles questioned in a falsetto, looking scandalized. “My, you're so forward, Prince Kamui. I might have to give it some thought...”

“Well, while you're thinking, can you maybe move back a bit? My leg is falling asleep.”

“How about I move forward instead?” Niles said, removing his hands from their earlier positions and hooking them under Kamui's arms instead, scooting the prince further up on the bed and quickly following suit. In this revised position, both of Kamui's knees were bent around Niles' waist, and the adventurer's hands were on either side of the smaller man's shoulders. “Better?”

“...Yeah,” Kamui breathed, looking up at Niles' through his curtain of white. Feeling a bit dazed at the moment, Kamui brought his hands up to cup Niles' face, threading a strand of stark hair around his finger and brushing his thumb across the archer's stubbly chin. He became entranced by the smallest details on the man's face, noticing tiny scars that hadn't healed yet, the different layers of hair that stacked in a neat mess and framed Niles' chin, and the way his eyes crinkled when he smirked.

“Having fun?” Niles questioned with a chuckle in his voice. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he secretly loved the attention – the gentle touches Kamui was giving him made his entire being warm from the inside out.

“Mhmm,” Kamui hummed, carding his fingers through Niles' hair soothingly. The prince's eyes then lidded, and he tugged on the strands in his grip, urging Niles forward. However, before Kamui could pull him closer, Niles resisted the tugging, pausing just inches away from Kamui's lips.

“...Do you have any idea what you're getting into?” Niles breathed, focusing in on the prince's cloudy red eyes. Kamui gazed back at him, and he quickly understood the brevity of Niles' statement.

“I'm willing to find out,” Kamui responded earnestly, offering a sweet smile in return.

“Tch, and you called _me_ cheesy,” Niles laughed, and the sound alone made butterflies stir in the pit of Kamui's stomach.

 _I... really like him_ , Kamui said to himself, wishing his nerves would let him say it aloud.

For now, though, Kamui decided a kiss would be enough – just a soft touch of his lips to Niles' to convey how he felt, no spit-swapping or lip-biting or underlying intentions for now. Kamui met Niles halfway, pressing his puckered lips to the archer's grinning ones.

Sweet, if not a bit timid, is how Kamui would describe it later, and he released a contented sigh through his nose as soon as they met.

Feeling braver, Kamui wrapped his arms around Niles' neck, bringing the man impossibly closer, laying his head back fully onto the mattress as he allowed Niles to have total dominion over the kiss. It's not like Kamui had had any experience with this sort of thing, being locked up in the castle with his supposed siblings for all those years, so he figured he could learn via a few mentoring sessions with Niles, who he could only assume was quite versed, as much as it left him with a bitter feeling to think about.

Niles responded in kind to the advancement, already daring to break the boundary and slip out a tongue to run along the seam of the prince's lips. Kamui swallowed briefly, slowly allowing his mouth to part and welcoming the archer to delve in, which he did post haste.

It was a sensation that left Kamui reeling, the feeling of Niles' tongue sweeping over his own – Kamui wasn't sure what he expected, but it was simultaneously the most amazing and bizarre combination he'd ever experienced. Niles tasted quite a bit like he smelled, Kamui decided, with just a hint of something charred or grilled lingering on his tastebuds, as well as a certain sweetness that Kamui couldn't put his finger on.

He was surprised at himself for being able to process any thoughts at all, though, since every one of his senses were working overtime to process what was a completely new set of circumstances for him. He tried to keep up, but he ended up being the primary cause of most of the teeth clicking and odd conglomerations of tongues that went on; he was afraid he'd completely ruined the moment when Niles decided to pull back from him a bit, cloudy navy eye starting down at him.

“You look so beautiful right now,” Niles breathed, and Kamui was certain that his heart did a backflip at the suddenness of the declaration. He flinched when Niles placed a hand on the prince's cheek, rubbing a thumb across his lip line.

“T-thank you?” Kamui tried, not really sure how to respond. He wasn't used to receiving genuine compliments – the only times he'd ever been paid such niceties was when Camilla was feeling particularly generous with her doting.

“No need to be nervous,” Niles said, placing a chaste kiss on Kamui's cheek, moving down and across until he arrived at the prince's pointed ear, nipping it at the edge. “I'll be gentle.”

“I won't break, you know,” Kamui huffed, and Niles' breath puffed against the shell of his ear when he laughed.

“Are you sure about that?” Niles questioned coquettishly. “Do you secretly have experience under your belt that I'm not aware of?”

“N-no, but I'm sure I can handle whatever your perverted mind can come up with,” Kamui replied, indignant.

“Don't tempt me,” Niles said lowly, retuning to his task of biting along the prince's neck.

“...You really like biting me, don't you?” Kamui asked after a moment, picturing the state his throat and clavicle must be in right now. The collar of his maid dress only went up so high – there was no way he'd be able to hide all the marks Niles was leaving.

“I suppose I do,” Niles responded, placing a kiss upon where he'd left a fresh bite. “Do you mind it?”

“No, I actually, um, l-like it, too,” Kamui said meekly, face warming. He couldn't deny that he was enjoying the sparks of pain that came from the ministrations, and the way Niles would always kiss them afterwards as if to sooth the burn caused a pleasant sensation to well within his stomach.

“Mmm, good to know,” Niles hummed, the sound vibrating over Kamui's skin. He raised his head once he was satisfied with his work, admiring the many red splotches marring Kamui's otherwise perfect expanse of flesh. “Looks like you have your work cut out for you tomorrow, though – there's quite a few to coverup.”

“...Maybe I shouldn't bother trying to cover them, then,” Kamui murmured, glancing to the side, knowing his cheeks were blazing.

Niles was momentarily stunned by the response, so sure that had been about to be reprimanded for leaving so many marks that Kamui couldn't adequately hide, but the fact that the prince was implying that he was willing to leave them out for everyone to see... Needless to say, Niles was elated.

“Oh? So you don't mind if your friends see all of these marks on your neck?” Niles inquired lowly, using one of his hands to creep below the hem of Kamui's dress, inching his way towards the lacy black panties that he knew lay underneath. “Well, I can't exactly say I'm adverse to the idea of everyone knowing that you're taken.”

Kamui didn't bother responding – he was far too focused on the hand that had gone beneath his dress, toying with the waistband of his underwear. Niles was gauging Kamui's reaction as he ventured further, sliding his fingers along the lace and massaging the prince's hips. Kamui didn't seem to be unwilling to participate, as he released a soft moan when Niles' fingers danced closer to the crevice between Kamui's legs. Kamui, meanwhile, was waiting with bated breath to feel Niles come in contact with his most intimate area, subconsciously spreading his knees farther apart to welcome the touch.

And when Niles finally did cup him through his so-very-thin panties, it took every ounce of Kamui's willpower not to moan loud enough for the entire castle to hear. The sensation of Niles' calloused palm rubbing against the friction of the lace dividing direct skin-on-skin contact was indescribable, especially to Kamui's lust-addled mind. He had still been cooling off from his encounter with Silas when Niles arrived, so it didn't take more than a few seconds for his arousal to remember why it'd been brought about in the first place.

With every second, Niles' pace increased, the angle of his strokes differed, and the friction and heat rose – it all made for a very quick escalation for Kamui.

“Feel good?” Niles asked huskily after a moment, watching the way the prince's face contorted with pleasure as he moved his hand up and down along Kamui's clothed shaft; he was slightly caught off guard but also exceedingly pleased to find that it was already half hard before he'd even began attending to it.

Kamui nodded rapidly in response, breathing labored, hair fanned behind him on the contrasting red comforter. Niles smirked, applying more pressure and moving his hand faster.

Kamui moaned aloud despite his best efforts to keep himself quiet, bringing his hands up to cover his lips in order to silence himself. Noises were still leaking through his palm, however, and Niles was incredibly amused by the prince's futile efforts to keep the embarrassing sounds at bay.

It only became harder as Kamui became harder, his mouth watering and the grunts and moans he was consistently releasing increasing in volume. Niles had once again picked up the pace, at the same time using his ring and middle finger to extend his reach lower, massaging Kamui's perineum languidly. As soon as the sensation registered in Kamui's mind, the prince's hands left his mouth, instead grasping for Niles' shoulders, roughly taking a palmful of the adventurer's clothing into his fists.

“Ahhn, _Niles_ ,” Kamui gasped, calling out the archer's name with abandon. “I-I think I'm– _ahh_ , close...”

“Already? So quick...” Niles said teasingly, leaning in toward Kamui, breath ghosting across his lips. “Go ahead.”

“ _Mmph_!” Kamui's throaty moan was mostly muffled by Niles' mouth covering his own, and he nearly blacked out from the force of his orgasm as it took him over. It hit him like a strike from a berserker, multiple rivulets of white leaking through the intricate design of the lace pattern on his underwear as it shook through him.

He could tell his eyes were open as his senses eked back to him, but his vision was still blurry from squeezing them shut so tightly, and it was several more moments before his sight completely cleared. The first thing that greeted him was Niles grinning widely, looking overtly pleased with himself.

“Well, you certainly didn't hold back,” Niles said after a moment, removing his hand from the sticky mess going on under Kamui's skirt. He casually observed the considerable amount of opalescent liquid running down his palm, watching as it webbed between his fingers.

“Ugh, please clean that off,” Kamui said in embarrassment, subsequently abashed to find that his voice was slightly hoarse.

“Mm, no problem,” Niles said, and Kamui instantly realized what he was insinuating.

“Don't you dare–“ Kamui started, but before he could finish, Niles had already caught a line of the liquid with his tongue, making for quite the erotic sight as he licked his lips afterwards. Kamui hid his burning face in his hands, groaning. “Gods, you're literally shameless. Surely that must taste foul.”

“I wouldn't spread it on my toast, but it isn't awful,” Niles responded, languidly taking another sample. Eye shifting over to Kamui, Niles smirked. “Why don't you try it for yourself?”

Before Kamui could even begin to deny the request, Niles tugged a hand away from Kamui's face, watching cheekily as the realization of what Niles was suggesting overcame Kamui's reddened face. Mouth slightly ajar from shock, Niles had no trouble meeting the prince's lips with his own and forcing his tongue inside, running it along Kamui's palette slowly. Kamui couldn't help but moan at the feeling alone, but the sheer pervertedness of the act of essentially tasting himself on Niles was far more exciting than it had any right to be.

After a moment, Niles allowed Kamui room to breathe, once again skirting his lip line with his tongue as he pulled away. Kamui was lost in a haze as he always seemed to be when Niles took control, and he blushed all the way up to his ears as a uniquely bitter taste settled over his tongue. Groaning, he shyly buried his burning face into the adventurer's shoulder.

“...You're the worst,” Kamui muttered, discrediting his statement immediately by bringing his arms up to encircle Niles' neck.

“I know,” Niles responded, chuckling at the prince's expense. He wrapped his own arms around Kamui's waist, huddling their bodies closer together even though they were both hot and sweaty from their previous activities.

As he diminished the space between them, he heard Kamui release a quiet moan, and he realized that neither of them had bothered to do anything about the essence still quite present in Kamui's panties. Not to mention, Niles had had his own impressive arousal to deal with standing at attention since the beginning of their encounter, and it seemed that Kamui had taken notice as well as his legs shifted in order to brush against it. It was obvious that the prince was provoking it on purpose, and Niles was briefly impressed by how forward Kamui was being. On the other hand, Niles wasn't sure how long he could keep his hands to himself if Kamui continued on as he was.

“Don't start what you can't finish,” Niles growled after letting the teasing go on for a moment, and he felt Kamui's body freeze against him.

“...I'm not,” Kamui said, resuming his motions with a clumsy vigor.

“Are you sure you want to continue this now?” Niles asked skeptically, picking up on the uncertain tone underlying Kamui's voice.

“...Yes,” Kamui said, once again hesitating before he spoke. Niles rolled his eye in response, separating his body from Kamui's – he could've almost cried at the loss of friction.

“No, you're not,” Niles said, sighing heavily as he sat up on Kamui's bed. “Look, I can assure you that there's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than you, but I feel like we've already gone far enough for tonight, and I can tell you're not completely comfortable with all of this yet.”

“B-but I am!” Kamui retorted, following suit and sitting up beside Niles, gripping onto the adventurer's shirt. “I just... I don't really know where to go from here...”

“And I'll be happy to walk you through it, but not tonight,” Niles said, and despite what Kamui claimed, it was obvious that the prince was relieved that they wouldn't be continuing for now. “It's getting pretty late, and I should probably get back to my barracks before Odin comes looking for me.”

“I suppose...” Kamui acquiesced, letting go of Niles' uniform.

“Don't be upset,” Niles said, wrapping an arm around Kamui's waist and pulling him closer. “How about we have lunch together tomorrow?”

“That sounds nice,” Kamui agreed, meeting Niles' lips when he dove in for a kiss. After a moment, they separated, Niles rising from the bed and smoothing out his clothes.

“I'll see you tomorrow then,” Niles said, strolling towards the door and placing a hand on the knob. “Goodnight, Kamui.”

“Goodnight, Niles,” Kamui responded, blushing at the use of his name sans honorifics. “Thank you for... stopping by.”

“Oh, believe me,” Niles grinned, “the pleasure was all mine.”

“Just go, you pervert,” Kamui smiled back, chuckling at the childish double-entendre.

When Niles finally shut the door and Kamui was left to his own company, what had just taken place came rushing back to him all at once, causing Kamui's heart to race and his already red face to practically enflame. Butterflies welled up in his stomach, and there was certainly no denying at this point that he was absolutely enamored with the man – and Niles seemed to feel similarly, if his advancements were anything to go by. Kamui smiled to himself, practically giddy at the idea.

He started to move in order to get ready for bed, but he paused when he felt a slimy feeling ooze between his legs – obviously the remnants of the oh-so-fond memory Kamui was just reliving. It seemed that he'd forgotten about the aftermath, though, and he grimaced as he got up and walked bow-legged towards his small washing area.

He spent the next half-hour coming up with ways he could go about asking Jakob to wash cum out of his uniform.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this like eight times and I'm still 1000% unimpressed with it but I mean hey at least there was finally dick as promised I hope that makes up for the wait and overall mediocrity
> 
> in other news when and why did this story get 250+ Kudos?? I mean like thank you guys so much for the encouragement and I'm glad you're enjoying it but this means I have over 250 people to kinkshame
> 
> also since I apparently have a little blurb about Niles down here in almost every chapter here's your fun fact of the day - Niles has ranked within the top ten favorite Fire Emblem Fates characters in the popularity polls from both Japan and the United States and I'm so thankful that everyone is as enthusiastic about this delightful eyepatch man as I am amen
> 
> ALSO super special shout outs to Dubiouspoe and Cosmicmist for the fantastic maid!MKamui fanarts! thanks a bunch to you both!


	7. meow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I came across a Niles/Kamui playlist and one of the songs listed was 'Criminal' by Britney Spears and for some reason I couldn't stop myself from listening to that song on repeat pretty much the whole time I was writing this so if this chapter is especially awful you can file your complaint with Britney
> 
> P.S. some stuff goes on in this chap that definitely warrants that explicit rating boys and girls

When Kamui awoke the next morning, it was to the sound of the breakfast bell resounding throughout the castle, harkening everyone to the mess hall to enjoy a morning meal. That ringing also meant that it was approximately 8:00 in the morning – not an unreasonable time to start the day, but it still took several minutes for Kamui's cogs to start turning, and it required every ounce of his willpower to force himself into a sitting position.

Blinking sleepily, Kamui yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head and popping his shoulders as he woke himself up. A pleasant feeling settled over Kamui as he finally became more aware, and he decided it must be because what had taken place last night just before he'd gone to bed was still fresh on his mind. It brought a healthy glow to his cheeks to think back on, but also caused a smile to etch onto his features.

Now fully awake, Kamui swung his legs out of bed, standing and walking briskly over to his bathroom area. As he turned the faucet and let the water begin to fill the tub, he stripped himself of his nightclothes, mainly consisting of underwear (fresh, since he'd had to wash the ones he'd been wearing last night) and a large white button-up – hand-me-down shirts from Xander as he outgrew them.

He brushed his teeth as he waited for the tub to fill, proceeding to step in when he deemed the water temperature satisfactory. He sunk down into the water immediately, contentedly sighing as the heat of the water settled over him. He hadn't had the chance to bathe last night since it had gotten so late before he was done with his laundry, so now that he was swathed in the humid atmosphere, it was incredibly soothing.

He enjoyed his bath for quite a while before he realized he'd started to shrivel and the bathwater had gotten lukewarm, so he quickly exited and drained the tub, padding outside the bathroom and toweling himself off. There wasn't much hope for the abstract art that he called a hairstyle, so he simply shook out some of the water and let the air dry it as he continued his morning routine.

He approached the dresser where his maid dress hung, sliding it off of the hanger and considering where he should start going about clothing himself. Before, when Jakob had redressed him, the butler had taken special care to lace up the dress where it would be easier for Kamui to slip it on and off, but the prince was still somewhat in the dark about the intricacies of the outfit.

He figured that he'd have to get it on one way or the other, so he set to work, stepping into the skirt and apron and pulling the dress up to his shoulders, sliding his arms into the sleeves and adjusting the collar comfortably. With a sigh, Kamui tugged on the strings of the corset, tying them the best he could from his vantage point until they were at least somewhat correct. He went about fixing the bow next, and he only had about as much success as he anticipated – read, hardly any. It came out looking a bit lopsided, but it was better than nothing, he supposed.

Now dressed, Kamui spared a glance at himself in the mirror, taking in his reflection. He'd noticed the day before, of course, but even upon a second take, he had to admit to himself that he really didn't look half-bad in this outfit. It wouldn't have been his first choice, and he would still be more than happy to rid himself of it given the chance, but since the circumstances were what they were, at least he could pull it off fairly well. His body type was nicely suited to the contours of the dress, and his long legs and stylized hair went well with the overall aesthetic. Satisfied, he'd just been about to walk away from the mirror when he suddenly caught sight of something that gave him pause.

 _Oh,_ Kamui thought to himself. _So this is what he was warning me about._

Around his neck was a collar of red, splotches of maroon, and ovals of deep violet. It looked as if he'd been scribbled on with markers by a toddler who only liked drawing polkadots, so sporadic yet purposeful were the marks. Kamui stepped closer to the mirror, bringing a finger up to gingerly probe at one of them, wincing when a stab of pain was the result. His whole throat was sore, unsurprisingly, and it had an appearance to match.

Despite what he'd claimed so boldly to Niles the night before, Kamui wasn't sure if he'd be able to confidently face anyone today with this spotted mess encircling his neck. When he'd made that declaration, he'd had no idea just how earnest Niles had been when he'd said that Kamui would have his work cut out for him.

Fortunately for him, the collar of the maid dress was quite high, but marks still peaked out beyond the folds. He'd have to cover them somehow, he decided, so he pinched together the two halves down the middle and looked around his room for some way to hold them together. A few safety pins that Jakob had left him with the last time his prince outfit had needed repairs came to mind, and he quickly rummaged around inside his dresser until he found the one he was looking for.

Pinning the material where the latch was mostly invisible made the neckline of the dress stray much higher than obviously intended, but it did its job, and that was all that Kamui was concerned with. If he could maintain his dignity while in a maid dress, he was certain that he could get over an inconveniently high collar.

The next task to tackle were the shoes, but thankfully for Kamui, they were merely slip-ons and didn't require any special shoe knowledge to conquer. Contrary to his claim of prowess the day before, Kamui was actually a bit estranged by the concept of shoes, as he'd relied on his naturally tough skin to be the barrier between himself and the ground for as long as he could remember. But, if he was going to go as far as to wear the panties, he was damn well going to wear the shoes, too.

The truly embarrassing part was the stockings that preceded them, but once he was able to slip them along his legs with only minimal shame, he got his shoes on with no problems otherwise.

On that note, and with a deep breath, Kamui exited his quarters, stepping out into the crisp morning air. It was an unusually chilly morning, Kamui noticed immediately, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to preserve his body heat. It wasn't at all helpful that there was quite a bit of cool air circulating under the shell of his skirt, and he had to use one hand to keep the material from flying up in his face.

He quickly descended the stairs of his quarters, at the same time surveying the area and perplexed to find that there was hardly any activity going on around him. It was still pretty early, he reasoned, so he continued on toward the Mess Hall, unperturbed.

The doors of the lunchroom creaked as Kamui pushed them open – the sound was loud against the background of silence that greeted him. There was no one here, either.

“...Hello?” Kamui announced to the empty room cautiously, walking inside and briefly chagrined by the loud clacking of his heels echoing against the floor. What was more immediately concerning, however, was that he hadn't laid eyes on a single other person since he'd been awoken by the breakfast bell which – by all intents and purposes – should have been a sign that _someone_ was manning the cooking stations.

“Kamui?”

The faraway voice calling his name nearly made Kamui leap out of his dress, but he recognized it no more than a moment later, and he instantly relaxed.

“Leo? Where are you?” Kamui answered, approaching the counter. His younger not-brother emerged from the stairway leading up to the hall's watchtower, greeting Kamui with an amused grin.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Leo chuckled, giving Kamui's outfit a once over. “I see you were able to adequately get yourself dressed this morning. I'm impressed.”

“Says the man who puts on his collar inside out once a week,” Kamui replied teasingly, laughing shortly when Leo pouted. He quickly sobered, however, since the odd lack of other people was still at the forefront of his mind. “Where is everyone this morning?”

“They were called out at dawn to seize a local village from a band of lowly mongrels,” Leo replied, waving a dainty hand. “Nothing to be concerned about.”

“Well it must've been somewhat of an undertaking if Xander sent our whole fleet,” Kamui said.

“Not particularly, Xander simply wanted to make sure that there were no qualms in case the summons underestimated the number of reinforcements,” Leo said. “He asked me and his retainers to stay behind to look after the castle – and you, of course.”

Kamui huffed indignantly, crossing his arms. “Why wasn't I made aware of this?”

Leo raised a blond eyebrow at his fellow prince. “I know it's only been one day since your baptism into maidhood, but surely you recall that you are still without weapons and have no defensive capabilities?”

Kamui instantly deflated, heaving a sigh.

“Yes, I remember,” Kamui said sullenly. He sat down at one of the nearby barstools, propping his head in his hands on the counter separating himself and Leo. “I hate feeling so useless...”

“You're not entirely useless,” Leo said, and Kamui was thankful he was familiar with Leo's roundabout way of offering consolation, otherwise that declaration wouldn't have been nearly as consoling as intended.

“How do you figure?” Kamui asked, mindlessly focusing on tracing a pathless pattern on the wood beneath his fingertips, and in doing so, missing the flash of mischievousness that crossed Leo's countenance.

“Well, I received a wonderfully positive report from Niles about your support during the invasion yesterday evening,” Leo said disingenuously, picking up on the way Kamui's motions stuttered at the mention of the archer, as he expected. Smirking, Leo continued. “He was certainly pleased with your performance. If you'd like to be helpful in battle, I'd suggest continuing to partner with him for now.”

“...I-I suppose I could do that,” Kamui responded meekly after a moment, not meeting Leo's eyes.

“Unless you have some reason you wouldn't want to partner with him..?” Leo probed.

“No!” Kamui blurted, whipping his head up to finally meet Leo's knowing expression, and his cheeks lightly colored when he realized how defensive he sounded. “I-I mean, no, that's fine, it's probably for the best that I just stick to supporting for now, anyway. Even if I was able to get weapons, we really wouldn't have time to train me on shurikens or staves.”

“It's something to consider,” Leo continued, shifting in his seat. “Though it mostly depends on how long you're stuck as you are. Remaining that way for too long with no defenses to speak of would cause you to fall out of practice, not to mention – though I'm sure Niles would be able to handle it – I would hate to continue to shoulder him with the burden of taking care of you during every battle.”

“Gee, thanks,” Kamui said sardonically, rolling his eyes.

“Well, certainly it would cause a mental toll after a while,” Leo clarified. “Keeping watch over the prince of a kingdom would weigh heavy on anyone's conscience.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Kamui relented.

“But as I've told you, Niles would have no issue with aiding you until you're able to reclass once more,” Leo said. “Just as I'm sure the feeling is mutual, correct?”

“Right,” Kamui said assuredly, smiling at the younger man.

Kamui had no more gotten the word out before the cafeteria doors suddenly swung open, and on reflex, Leo vaulted over the counter separating the two princes, readying his Brynhildr and taking a defensive stance in front of Kamui all in the matter of a few seconds. Kamui tensed up immediately, but relaxed in unison with Leo as they realized who'd burst through the doors.

“Greetings, Milord Leo! We have returned victorious!” Odin announced, proudly sporting his snazzy Trueblade attire and a wide grin. Leo, by and large used to his retainer's extravagancies at this point, snapped his book shut, placing his other hand on his hip as he regarded Odin in amusement.

“Excellent news,” Leo replied. “How is your new class fairing for you?”

“Flawlessly, as I expected,” Odin said, strutting towards the two princes ostentatiously. “The Dark Ones seem to be exceedingly pleased with my decision to maximize my potential.”

“Glad to hear that,” Leo humored him, but a puzzled look overcame him as he glanced behind the other blond. “Is Niles on his way here as well? I recall instructing _both_ of you to report back to me after the skirmish.”

“Ah, yes, unfortunately, fate wasn't kind to him today...” Odin began cryptically. That caught Kamui's attention, as the prince instantly sprang up from his position on the stool and darted in front of the surprised mage. “Prince Kamui? I wasn't aware that you–”

“What happened to Niles?!” Kamui cut him off, a distressed look overcoming his features.

“Well, the battle was nearly over before I'd divined that the ruffian had strayed from our group, so I'm not sure exactly how he got the wound–”

“He's hurt?!” The anxiety in Kamui's voice became even more apparent. “Where is he?!”

“He was taken in by the infirmary, but–”

Thrice interrupted – this time by Kamui swerving around him and making a mad dash for the cafeteria entrance – Odin turned toward Leo with a nonplussed expression after he watched the doors swing shut following the prince's exit, to which the other blond merely shrugged.

“He's just insecure since he feels like he can't aid anyone in battle at the moment,” Leo fibbed nonchalantly. “Ergo, he feels responsible for anyone getting hurt because he isn't there to protect them.”

Odin seemed to contemplate the answer for a moment.

“Understandable... I suppose,” Odin said finally, a thoughtful hand brought to his chin. “Are you not more concerned about your retainer, Milord?”

“Certainly not,” Leo replied, taking a seat back on the barstool and casually tucking an errant strand of hair behind his headband. “Niles wouldn't allow himself to be critically injured by some insignificant prowlers. I'll go check on him later... to get his report on the mission, of course.”

Odin just smiled at him knowingly, joining the prince at the table to discuss the battle.

.:.

 _Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay_ , Kamui repeated the mantra in his head obsessively as he made his way toward the area where he knew the infirmary was located, not stopping to catch his breath or to pay mind to the peculiar looks he was getting from his friends making their way back into the camp as his legs pumped as quickly as they could without tripping over themselves.

It didn't seem like he could possibly make it to the edifice fast enough, and his lungs were starting to ache just as the building's entrance came into focus. He slowed his stride as he came to the entryway, pausing only briefly to breathe before opening the door and being blasted with the cool temperature of the medical ward.

He stepped inside and shut the door behind himself, shivering against the chill as he looked around wildly for the archer that he could only assume was in a grave state judging by Odin's report. His heart was beating rapidly, both from the toll of using every bit of his energy to make it to the infirmary from the Mess Hall in record time and the stress of worrying how he would find his brother's retainer.

“Y-yes! I'll be right back! Just wait here for a moment!”

 _Felicia..?_ Kamui recognized instantly, coming from just around the corner. He began heading in the direction of the voice, hoping the girl could help him locate Niles, when he suddenly heard another person speak.

“Not like I have much choice...”

_Niles?!_

It didn't seem as though Kamui had to look much further, as that was unmistakably the vapid tone of the archer he had set out in search of. He forced his tired legs to stride forward once more, rounding the corner with a purpose and nearly slipping as he skidded to a stop when he caught sight of the white-haired man.

Niles' top half was completely unclothed, his bottom half clad in his simple dark navy pants. The only thing covering Niles' tan torso was a thick coating of gauze, encompassing over half of the archer's build and extending up and around his left shoulder.

While Kamui was surveying the damage, Niles had casually glanced over at the prince upon hearing him round the corner, offering him a calm smile.

“Morning,” Niles said after realizing that Kamui seemed to be too dazed to initiate a conversation. “Did you sleep well?”

The question seemed to kickstart Kamui's finer senses, as the prince blinked his suddenly watery eyes and swiftly strode to Niles' side, wrapping his arms around the man as soon as he was close enough to reach him. Niles released a grunt of pain as his injuries were disturbed, but he attempted to endure it quietly.

“I hate you,” Kamui whispered next to Niles' ear after a beat of silence, voice shaky. Niles raised a brow, not that the prince could see it, as his face was now buried in the archer's uninjured shoulder.

“That doesn't answer my question,” Niles responded cheekily. “But I can't say I'm not surprised to hear that, considering what happened last night. Though now you've got me curious about what you would've done if you actually liked me.”

“I mean–” Kamui began, his arms tightening around Niles' neck, “I hate you for making me worry.”

“This is the first time I've spoken to you this morning,” Niles retorted amusedly, discreetly using the leverage from where he'd wrapped his arms around Kamui in return to pull the prince into his lap upon the hospital bed on which he was stated. There was no resistance from the prince; on the contrary, Kamui assisted the maneuver by pulling himself up by his knees onto the mattress, much more comfortable now that he wasn't straining to reach the archer's neck.

“Why did you deviate from the group?” Kamui asked, avoiding Niles' response. “Odin said that you got hurt because you went off by yourself.”

“I had a pickup to make before we left, but everyone else was too concerned with seizing the village to back me up,” Niles explained. “So, I went by myself. It was nothing I couldn't handle.”

“But you obviously _couldn't_!” Kamui exclaimed, pulling away and looking up at Niles with misty cerise eyes. “You almost died!”

“Tch, is that what Odin told you?” Niles chuckled, bringing a hand up to affectionately ruffle the prince's hair. “I met up with more resistance than I expected, but I only got a few battle scars – they didn't even get any blood on their weapons. All this gauze is hardly more than decoration, but Lord Xander ordered me come here to get the wounds checked out anyway, and that strategist friend of yours dressed me up like this to seal in the antiseptic she used to help the abrasions heal faster. I'm fine, I promise.”

Niles felt Kamui's tense posture relax in his lap, the prince's face softening in tandem. The gentle smile that graced the shorter man's lips directed toward him made Niles' cheeks color.

“I'm so thankful...” Kamui said quietly after a moment, relieved laugh wavering as he rubbed at his damp eyes. “What could've possibly been so important that you risked your life to get it?”

“Ah, right,” Niles said, reaching over to his bedside table and rummaging through his pile of clothing and equipment that he'd shed prior to the examination. Seeming to find what he was looking for, Niles smirked. “Just a little trinket to repay a favor I owed you.”

What the adventurer dug out from underneath the stack was something Kamui didn't recognize immediately – it was some type of shuriken, that much he was sure of, but he'd never come across any that shined with such a bright red hue.

“...What is it, exactly?” Kamui questioned, taking the metal star in his hand and admiring the way it glistened in the light shining through the window behind them.

“They're Flame Shurikens,” Niles said, smirking at the impressed look on the prince's face. “I noticed some lowlife trying to use them to set the fields on fire to cover their escape, but I figured he wouldn't mind letting me borrow them if he knew they would be benefitting the Prince of Nohr.”

“I suppose that he was fully cooperative, then?” Kamui remarked, turning over the weapon in his palm.

“Naturally. He didn't even put up a fight,” Niles said, but he subconsciously ran his hand over the bandages covering his torso as he continued, a hint of spite lacing his tone as he continued, mumbling to the point that Kamui couldn't hear him. “It was his damn buddies that weren't too happy about giving them up.”

“This is really high-quality...” Kamui said, running his finger along the edge of the blade carefully. “I can feel the magical properties of it already.” Kamui shifted his focus from the weapon up to the archer whose lap he was still comfortably seated upon. “I wish you wouldn't have been so reckless trying to get them, but I sincerely appreciate you going to the trouble of getting me viable weapons. Now I can actually help in fights rather than just be a burden to you.”

“But you were a pretty burden,” Niles joked, and he chuckled at the pout he got in return. “I'm only teasing you, I wouldn't ever think of you that way.”

“I was so useless yesterday, though,” Kamui said, looking back down and clutching the shuriken in his hands. “You almost... got really hurt because I couldn't defend you.”

“Is that what you think?” Niles scoffed, bringing his hands to rest on either side of Kamui's face and tilting the prince's head to meet his eye. “I was only able to fight off that bastard because of your support. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm more of a long-ranger on the battlefield – you gave me the extra boost of strength I needed to defend myself. You're not a burden, Kamui.”

The prince's eyes glistened at the statement, and his whole body warmed at the endeared feeling that overcame him. He didn't hesitate to push forward, aching to press his lips against the ones that beckoned him to do so, and they met in a kiss that left Kamui floaty. They meshed together so perfectly, so harmoniously, so wonderfully that Kamui felt as if they'd practiced this as a staged performance, when in reality they'd only just shared their first truly intimate moment the night prior.

On that same token, the formalities and timidness that new couples often battled with was already a wisp in the wind, as Niles wasted no time initiating closer contact, deepening their liplock with a sly brush of his tongue across the seam of the prince's mouth. Kamui responded to the advance in kind, welcoming the intrusion and moaning softly at the increasingly-familiar taste of the archer. This time, however fleeting a thought it was racing through his muddled mind, Kamui detected a hint of mint, attributing it to the cleaning gel that everyone used to rinse their mouths in the morning since Niles apparently hadn't had the time to have breakfast before he'd been called away.

So caught up was Kamui in the sensations that he didn't even realize the shuriken in his lap was at a dangerously odd angle until an edge of the star dug roughly into his hand, causing him to yelp and pull away from the archer at the pain. They both looked down to survey the damage, remiss to find that the blade had sliced a clean cut along the prince's index finger.

“Ugh, that's really sharp,” Kamui commented, gently taking the weapon with his unmarred hand and setting it back amongst Niles' pile of clothing. He used his thumb to catch some of the blood running from the wound, grimacing at the sight.

“Maybe you're just especially fragile,” Niles commented, grinning at the unimpressed look he got in return.

“Do you have any extra gauze?” Kamui asked, ignoring the jab.

“Not with me,” Niles said, proceeding to take Kamui's hand into his own as if to examine the injury for himself. “But you definitely should try to stop the bleeding somehow...”

“I know – not to mention I'd really hate to get any on my dress, considering I've already had to wash it twice in the past twenty four hours... what are you doing?” Kamui trailed off, watching wide-eyed as Niles brought the finger between his lips, sealing them around the digit and giving Kamui a sinfully lascivious look. Kamui could feel his face go up in flames, the blush reaching the tips of his ears as he felt the archer's tongue caress the cut gently, soothing the ache on Kamui's index but creating a whole new ache in his lower region.

Embarrassed as he was, Kamui couldn't deny that the treatment did help the sting to abate, even if it was a less-than-conventional way of going about healing a wound. Fortunately – unfortunately? – Niles pulled away after he seemed satisfied with his work, parting with a chaste peck onto the injury and a smile following soon after.

“How's that?” Niles questioned coyly. Kamui was fairly certain that his mind had been fried by the sheer amount of heat emanating from his face, but he regained his wits and swallowed thickly, giving the taller man an exasperated look.

“Mortifying, thanks for asking,” Kamui replied, glancing away from the suggestive expression Niles shot his way.

“Aw, it's always so adorable when you pretend you're not hopelessly turned on,” Niles said lowly, bumping his thigh higher where the prince was seated and eliciting a sound of surprise when the archer rubbed against Kamui's arousal.

“...I can't believe I was ever worried about you,” Kamui said in a heady tone, eyes lidded.

“I'm surprised, too, since you apparently hate me,” Niles responded, using the new leverage he had on Kamui to press a kiss to the prince's jaw. Kamui suddenly stilled, and Niles didn't resist when the younger man placed his hands on the archer's shoulders, leveling a serious gaze with the singular blue eye.

“You know I didn't mean that, right?” Kamui asked earnestly, and with so much sincerity that Niles had to force himself not to chuckle at how cute the prince could be.

“I would certainly hope not,” Niles said, smiling genuinely at Kamui to reassure him that he was unconcerned. “Though I admit that I did have do a double-take when I noticed how you'd rigged your collar to cover up my masterpiece. I figured you may have regretted what happened last night.”

“N-no, not at all,” Kamui responded, shaking his head. “The marks were just a bit more... _noticeable_ than I anticipated, and since I'm already in the spotlight because of this ridiculous outfit, I didn't want to rouse a cause for more scrutiny.”

“Mhm,” Niles hummed distractedly, and Kamui took notice when the archer briefly glanced behind the prince at something over his shoulder. Kamui was prepped to ask what he'd caught sight of when the archer suddenly tugged him into an embrace, bringing him closer to his partially unclothed torso and situating the prince so that he was seated more comfortably in Niles' lap. The whole process only took a few seconds, and within that time, Niles said, “You can come out now, Felicia, I know you're there.”

Kamui's whole body froze, and he locked eyes with his friend as soon as she emerged from her hiding place behind the wall.

“U-um, good morning, Prince Kamui,” Felicia greeted uneasily, offering an amiable wave. She didn't give him time to respond before she shifted her attention onto Niles, who wore an expression of sheer amusement. “A-are your wounds okay so far? I-I brought extra bandages and, um, some soothing oil, i-in case the gauze is chafing you.”

“They're fine, thanks,” Niles responded, extending an arm – the one that wasn't wrapped around a stunned Kamui's waist – toward the girl for retrieval. Felicia regarded the hand as if it was a venomous snake poised to strike, but nonetheless passed on the supplies dutifully.

“Um, Felicia, I–” Kamui began, but Felicia cut him off.

“No need to explain!” Felicia assured him with a flustered look, though her tone was genuine enough. Hands behind her back, the girl began to retreat back to where she was discovered, smiling at the pair. “I-I'll just let you two get back to your, ah, alone time? S-sorry for interrupting. Oh, and, um, you've got a clean bill of health, so, uh, you're free to leave whenever you're ready, Niles.”

“Thank you,” Niles responded casually, like he didn't have a fuming prince in a maid dress perched on his lap.

“See you later, Prince Kamui!” Felicia called to him, finally disappearing around the corner she'd come from behind.

“I can see why you're friends with her,” Niles remarked after she'd left. “She's just as delightfully naïve as you are.”

“...Is it your goal to embarrass me to death?” Kamui asked, tone void, deaf to Niles' snide comment.

“Of course not,” Niles responded, leaning his head over to rest on top of Kamui's affectionately. “Leo would Brynhildr me to another dimension if I killed you.”

“Leo allows you to address him without titles?” Kamui asked, once again choosing to ignore Niles' attempt to rile him.

“Has for a while now – I still use honorifics around others, of course, but when it's just he and Odin and I, it's as if we're all of the same standing,” Niles said, taking in the clean scent of Kamui's hair since he was so close; consequently, Kamui could feel when Niles grinned. “Are you upset that you weren't my first?”

“Not particularly, I'm just surprised, I guess, since Leo seems so proud of his title,” Kamui said thoughtfully, subtly leaning into Niles. “But it's humbling to know you're only keeping me alive so my brother won't be cross with you.”

“You know that's not the only reason,” Niles said, nuzzling his face into Kamui's hair and mingling his own tresses of white with the prince's. Kamui blushed when he felt the archer press a kiss near his forehead, and he only became more flustered when he heard Niles whisper, “I would never stop missing you if you were gone.”

Kamui felt a shiver go down his spine at the words, so genuinely were they said, but he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat.

“Sorry, I'm just always caught off guard when you get so sentimental,” Kamui said in response to the questioning look he received, tone endearing, and he turned his head to look at Niles more directly. “That said, I would really miss you, too. I nearly fainted when Odin told me you'd gotten hurt this morning...”

“That's partly why I told him to come with me to the infirmary first, but he couldn't _wait_ to brag to Leo about how well he'd done with his fancy new Trueblade class,” Niles said with a roll of his eye. However, a sordid look overcame his countenance a moment later as he pulled Kamui closer to him. “But I can't say I'm not glad that it resulted in you sitting on my lap for so long.”

“I'm just glad you're okay, you pervert,” Kamui responded, smiling into the kiss that awaited him when he turned his head. It started off innocent and sweet and gentle, a contrast to the one they'd shared earlier, but just as tantalizing to them both; it didn't stay that way for long, however, as Niles took the opportunity to once again delve into Kamui's instinctively parted lips, releasing a sigh as their unique tastes mingled for the second time that morning.

After being acquainted with them for the third time, Kamui was still pleasantly surprised to find how soft Niles' lips were – he'd fully anticipated them to be as rugged and rough as the archer himself appeared to be, but Kamui supposed that he would have to add that to the list of things he'd unfairly assumed about the taller man.

So lost in his thoughts was he that Kamui belatedly realized that Niles was intending to break off the kiss, but only just so he could speak – Kamui could feel the archer's lips move against his own as he spoke.

“Do you want to continue what we started last night?” Niles asked, voice breathy.

“...You're injured,” Kamui said after a moment, not exactly a refusal, but something he felt obligated to bring up as he could feel the gauze brushing up against his hands.

“The important parts aren't,” Niles grinned, and Kamui couldn't help but roll his eyes at Niles' shamelessness.

“Do you... Do you think anyone will catch us here?” Kamui asked, and he could tell Niles was shocked that he hadn't been immediately shot down.

“Not likely,” Niles reassured. “Anyone who needed to be brought to the infirmary would've already come and gone by now, and Felicia's off duty.”

“...Okay,” Kamui relented after a moment, looking up at Niles with a flustered expression. Niles' visible eye widened and he shrunk back a bit, searching the prince's face for any sign of doubt.

“Seriously?” Niles asked incredulously, and Kamui nearly laughed at how excited the archer seemed.

“Yes,” Kamui replied assuredly, voice firm. “But you have to promise to stop if we hear someone come in. You can't pull another stunt like you did with Felicia.”

“I wouldn't dream of it,” Niles responded with a clandestine smirk, but Kamui still seemed nervous at the prospect of being discovered. Tilting his head, Niles sighed. “If it would make you feel better, we could establish a safe word.”

“A safe word?” Kamui parroted.

“A phrase to say if you start to feel uncomfortable or think you hear someone come in,” Niles explained.

“Would 'stop' not be effective enough?” Kamui asked sardonically.

“A safe word is a bit more urgent – you'd only say it if you _really_ hated what was going on and wanted to make it completely clear to me,” Niles clarified.

“Okay... You're obviously more familiar with this than I am. What would you suggest?” Kamui asked.

“How about... 'Meow'?” Niles offered, and the serious look on the archer's face coupled with the unprecedented sound he made was enough to send Kamui into a giggling fit.

“W-why 'meow'?” Kamui asked amidst his laughter.

“I felt like it would be just ridiculous enough to get my attention,” Niles said, contagiously chuckling along with the prince. “It would certainly stand out.”

“I guess you're right,” Kamui said, laughter dying down as the mood seemed to shift from convivial to weighty on a dime. Niles sensed the shift as well, regarding Kamui with an even gaze.

“Would you like me to start us off, then?” Niles questioned, and he reveled in the way Kamui's face heated as the prince nodded mutely.

Niles didn't need further confirmation before he dove in to reinitiate their kiss, smoothly locking lips with the prince as if they were seasoned lovers. Niles doubted he would ever tire of the way Kamui would quietly whine upon first contact, or of the taste of his tongue, or of the beautiful size and shape of his lips. It really was all that Niles had hoped for and then some, especially considering how positively Kamui had responded to his advances.

The archer had had his suspicions that Kamui harbored a certain inclination towards him nearly from the moment they'd encountered one another, but he had wisely bided his time and waited for Kamui to warm up to him. He had no desire to force Kamui into something the sheltered prince obviously wasn't ready for, and the result was a much more self-confident Kamui – one that was apparently okay with the hands wandering underneath his skirt for the third time in the past day, if the encouraging noises were anything to gauge by.

Separating their lips momentarily, Niles urged Kamui to lean backwards, guiding him to lay against the soft material of the feather pillow as the adventurer followed to tower over him and situate them similarly to how they had been positioned the night before. This time, Niles was more careful to hook Kamui's legs around his waist in a way that hopefully wouldn't be too uncomfortable for him, as the archer anticipated this encounter to last longer if everything went according to plan.

Niles debated briefly about whether or not to go about removing the prince's dress, but ultimately decided against it in favor of admiring how cutely it accentuated the prince's features. Acting on that thought, Niles pushed the material up past Kamui's stomach, smirking when the prince shivered as his rosy buds were exposed to the cold air of the medical ward. Seeing Kamui laid out before him like this, looking up at him with such a vulnerable expression, was enough to vault Niles from half-chub to full-on erection in record time, but they were far too early in the show to already start rolling the credits.

Snuffing out his libido for now, Niles leaned forward, attaching his lips to one of the prince's pebbled peaks, amused to find that it was already standing at attention. The other was in a similar state as Niles discovered when he brought his hand up to tend to it, and the archer was endeared by how sensitive the prince obviously was as Kamui released a moan that nearly made _him_ blush. He couldn't exactly blame Kamui considering the life he'd led up until recently, and though Niles would've bet all the gold in Nohr that Kamui was familiar with masturbation, the reactions he was receiving from simply toying with his chest roused suspicion that Kamui had no idea about the finer things in life – namely, sex.

And so, as he felt Kamui's hands move to grab onto his shoulders, he proceeded to rake his pointed tongue over the pink nubs adorning Kamui's slim torso, relishing the taste of his skin, as sweet as Niles had always imagined it would be. He could hear the prince's heart beat pounding against his chest as Niles' sinful mouth took hold of the rosebud he'd been pruning and his teeth lightly bit down, causing Kamui to moan at the unfamiliarly wonderful sensation. His back arched off the mattress as he exhaled a shuddering sigh at the waves of pleasure coursing through him.

In the incredibly small window of clarity Kamui still possessed, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was doing, allowing himself to be debauched in the middle of the infirmary where the risk of being walked in on wasn't a fallacy. He technically knew _why_ – as evident by the consistent string of embarrassing noises streaming from his mouth the longer Niles paid special attention to his chest area – but _how_ he got to the point of not giving a shit whether Xander or Leo or Camilla or literally anyone his clouded mind could identify saw him like this was beyond him.

He didn't have much time to consider it, as it was, since Niles had apparently appeased himself with Kamui's small round nubs – now quite red and arced – and was moving down his stomach, placing kisses and nips in his wake.

“Pfft, that tickles,” Kamui couldn't help but giggle, squirming under the butterfly kisses and the way Niles' hair was skimming along his stomach. Niles raised his head a bit, sharing in the prince's laughter.

“You're so sensitive... it's adorable,” Niles commented, resuming his task, but this time placing more definitive marks and making sure that his hair was pulled back enough as to not cause any distractions.

And that's when it occurred to Kamui that it really wasn't a concern of how or why he got to this point, as far more important was the fact that he was at this point at all, watching as Niles was so lovingly peppering kisses down his torso, caressing his hips with his warm hands, and smiling up at him under a curtain of white hair.

What did it matter how it happened? What did it matter why it happened? What did it matter when Niles was removing Kamui's underwear with his teeth?

Kamui simultaneously wanted to bury his head in his pillow and also never look away from the sight before him, but his eyes stayed locked on the way Niles was so sinfully dragging the lacy black panties down Kamui's thighs with nothing but his pearly whites. He couldn't fathom himself doing anything of the sort, though he supposed that was another reason he was so enamored with the man idling between his legs; Niles had a certain character about him that Kamui had never experienced before, and it was certainly one he immediately found himself absolutely entranced by.

"Mmm, Niles..." Kamui said in a drawn-out moan, the archer's name intoxicating on his lips. Niles' hands were hoisting up his slender thighs, making his skin tingle under the touch and his breath halt in anticipation. The fingers crept around his waist to rest on his buttocks, lifting him up for his hips to meet Niles' awaiting mouth.

Kamui watched numbly as Niles' smiling lips parted and he engulfed the prince's aching need entirely in one smooth motion; eyes that had been half-lidded in desire flew open in shock only to clench shut once again in lust, as it seemed those emotions married together hand-in-hand.

Coherent thoughts vanished from Kamui's befuddled brain as that devilish mouth worked its way along Kamui's erection; Niles watched Kamui's face intently from his vantage point, loving the way Kamui's cheeks were splashed with red and his pretty mouth was formed in a lovely oval. Kamui's blood was a coursing river within him, heating his body to a dangerous level, but he couldn't calm himself, not with the way Niles's lips pressed against him and _Gods_ , his _tongue_ , and that warmth and wetness and–!

"Niles, Niles, _Niles_ – _ahh_!" Kamui cried out in a mantra, unable to finish a coherent thought or articulate much more than those beautiful noises that came as a serenade to Niles' senses.

Kamui's body shook with the force of his climax, his hips tensing in Niles's firm hands, head flying back against his pillow and hands desperately clutching handfuls of the sheets beneath him.

Kamui collapsed onto the bed, his chest heaving as he struggled to take air into his lungs. Niles' tongue moved out to trace his lipline, his hand wiping away what little of the translucent liquid that had trickled down his chin.

"Tired already?" Niles teased from where he'd raised up, and Kamui's eyes opened languidly to look up at the man, his face a bright red hue and his hair haloed around him.

"N-not at all," Kamui breathed, increasingly aware that he was approaching the point of no return. Regardless, he propped himself into a sitting position and again his arms reached for Niles, who faithfully allowed himself to be pulled down onto the prince. Their bare skin connected for a moment, and in that moment, Kamui could swear his heart stopped altogether; Niles had such a powerful effect on him. The archer leaned on his forearms, gazing down at Kamui's pretty face and kissing each of his cheeks before his lips found Kamui's once again.

"You taste so good... All of you does,” Niles intoned. "It really is intoxicating."

Lips that said such sensual words continued their trek over Kamui's skin, making him shiver in delight and desire. He had never felt more adored than he did in that moment as Niles kissed and caressed him into an euphoria, seeming to map out Kamui perfectly as he stimulated every sensitive place on his body, melting his heart and firing up his nerve endings so his whole being tingled until he could barely stand it. The pleasure was becoming so intense that it was nearly torturous.

" _Niles_ ," Kamui uttered the name quietly, feeling as though he just needed to hear his own voice to remind himself that he was still conscious. Niles looked up at him, mouth hovering over Kamui and lips brushing against his too-sensitive flesh.

"Is it too much?" Niles smirked against his skin, his tongue briefly darting out to trace along the path of Kamui's slender waist. Kamui responded with an unsure nod, overstimulated to the extreme but at the same time feeling as though his body was in preparation for something much more intense. "But we've only just started," Niles cooed, massaging calming patterns on Kamui's thighs.

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked him, suddenly intrigued. Niles left his place near Kamui's lower half and crawled over the prince once again, pinning him down beneath his toned body.

“I told you I'd walk you through this, right?” Niles asked.

"Yeah," Kamui answered meekly, the proximity of Niles' body to his own incredibly enticing.

"Do you trust me?" Niles followed up, and once again, Kamui responded positively. “Good. Then just sit back, relax, and let me handle this... And remember the safe word.”

At Kamui's nod, Niles smiled, wasting no time in moving back to lift Kamui's hips once more, Kamui watching him with curious anticipation. Niles' wicked tongue appeared once more and Kamui shivered as it connected with his flesh, tracing up his thigh and further still until it neared where Kamui had only just started to further explore himself.

Kamui gasped as Niles' tongue flitted against his entrance, the feeling so unusual that he couldn't immediately decide if it was even pleasurable or not. He was almost appalled at Niles' actions, but he was still too far gone to really care and ultimately decided that Niles must know what he was doing if he was willing to do something so unsanitary.

As that slick tongue moved against him, the moan that escaped Kamui's lips said more than any lust-addled string of words Kamui could come up with to express himself at the moment, and Niles was becoming increasingly aroused by the sheer volume of noises Kamui was emitting alone.

The archer retreated from his post slowly, at the same time keeping his mouth preoccupied as he slid two digits between his lips, wetting them sufficiently before he moved them to where his mouth had been not moments before. He hesitated briefly as he massaged Kamui's entrance with his pointer, glancing to the side and catching a glimpse of the soothing oil Felicia had left him for his bandages; that would certainly be more helpful than saliva alone in preparing the prince if he wanted to make sure that he wasn't harmed. Swaying to the side, Niles took the bottle in his hands, popping off the lid and spreading a generous amount over his digits, all the while discreetly observing the way Kamui's lidded eyes watched him curiously. Flashing a smirk, Niles set the liquid to the side, resuming his position and readying his fingers at the prince's sphincter.

Kamui looked on, dazed but mesmerized by the taller man's every movement, as Niles then began mimicking the actions of his tongue, encircling the muscles that he knew would be tight – too tight for him right now, surely. Meanwhile, his other hand reached down to push aside Kamui's raised collar, lips pursing to meet Kamui's jawline to serve as a distraction as one of his fingers pushed into the prince, earning a surprised gasp from Kamui.

"Ahh, that feels so... strange," Kamui remarked as Niles probed in and out of him at a steady rhythm, moving around as much as possible to loosen him without causing too much pain. Niles remained focused on his task, chuckling at Kamui's evaluation before slowly inserting a second digit into him, earning another sharp exhale of breath from the prince.

"We can stop if you want," Niles offered as he flicked his fingers inside of Kamui, keeping a watchful eye on the shorter man's reactions.

"Mm, no, no, I don't want to stop," Kamui responded in a shuddering voice. His slim fingers were caged on the archer's arms, squeezing the toned biceps in an attempt to ground himself as he endured the ministrations.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Niles chuckled, curving his fingers inside the prince and making Kamui moan and writhe, his skin shining with sweat from their combined body heat. All of the new sensations bubbling up inside of him ignited a peculiar coexistence of pleasure and pain, not entirely unpleasant but at the same time simmering at the brink of bursting. Kamui felt as if he was teetering on the precipice of orgasm, but he needed some kind of extra push, he needed release, he needed...

“ _Niles_ , I... I _need_ you,” Kamui breathed heatedly, hardly even aware of what exactly he was asking for. But it seemed as though Niles didn't need further clarification, for as soon as Kamui had uttered those words, Niles withdrew his fingers, a low groan spilling from his throat. Scooting back slightly, Niles quickly unfastened his pants and slid them down to his knees, now openly showing himself in front of Kamui who gawked unabashedly at the man's bare and beautiful body, every limb defined and buff and strong and a gorgeous tanned hue. Even the scars that littered the archer's body did nothing to distract from how fantastically handsome Niles was in Kamui's eyes.

"Raise your legs around my waist," Niles instructed, aiding Kamui to place them where he intended as it seemed that the prince was still basking in the sight he'd just bore witness to. Meanwhile, Niles once again scooped up the bottle of oil that he'd sat to the side before, using the rest of the soothing gel to drench his length until it was thoroughly coated and glistening. Leaning back over Kamui, Niles met the prince's hazy eyes with his own, breath labored and stance taut. "Are you ready?"

Kamui was instantly feeling more sober now that he realized what Niles was going to do, and the horrid thought crossed his mind that he may still want to bail out now that he was fully registering that _yes_ , this was indeed happening, and _yes_ , Niles' quite impressive length was about to take the plunge into his very own tiny asshole.

Kamui swallowed thickly, his eyes sweeping over the body bent over him, and he squeezed his eyelids shut as he nodded stiffly. He waited with bated breath as he anticipated the stinging pain of Niles entering him, but the pain never came, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Niles gazing down at him with a concerned expression.

“We don't have to do this if you're not ready. I won't think any less of you,” Niles stated, and Kamui blushed as Niles bent over him and warm lips met his own, white hair brushing against his cheek. The archer parted after a moment, smirking down at the prince. “All you have to do is meow for me, _Kitten_.”

Kamui pouted at the nickname, stubbornly wrapping his arms around the archer's neck as he gave him a determined look. This wasn't about one-upping Niles or even about preserving his own pride - he _wanted_ to do this, to be connected to Niles like he'd never been to anyone else.

“I'm ready... I want you inside me, Niles,” Kamui murmured, the bold choice of words surprising his newfound lover, but nonetheless stoking the fire that had been smoldering in the archer's gut since they'd started this venture. Not needing to be told twice, Niles pushed against Kamui's opening, eliciting a choked cry from the shorter man as he slowly inserted into him.

"Niles... _Ahh_ , it... _hurts_ ," Kamui whimpered, clutching onto the man's broad back desperately. His fingers were unable to find anything to cling to besides Niles' heated skin, and the pinpricks of pain elicited a moan from the man above him.

"Don't worry, you'll... nghh, get used to it," Niles replied, winded, his voice slightly unsteady. Kamui attempted to narrow his concentration on the intriguing look of dishevelment on Niles' face, observing how Niles' eyes were downcast, intent on what he was doing, his skin so faintly tinged red. Kamui briefly took notice that Niles' eyelashes matched his hair before Kamui clenched his eyes shut, a spark of pain winding its way around his spine when Niles snapped forward.

“Shit, don't... don't clench around me like that,” Niles said shakily, obviously holding himself back from driving into Kamui too roughly. Niles continued his measured motions, but Kamui could tell he was being careful from the way Niles would halt himself every so often, observing Kamui's face and making sure the prince was alright before resuming his pace.

Kamui's nails were still digging into his back with abandon, and Niles knew that there would be quite a few ribbons of red decorating his skin afterwards. Not that he minded, of course – Niles was actually quite enjoying the burning sensation brought on by Kamui's scratches, sensual and naughty as it was.

He continued to move slowly despite how much he ached to speed up, but he knew that it would only cause discomfort for them both if he did so. Pleasure aside, Kamui wasn't allowing for much movement, as it was – the prince's muscles were clenched around him excruciatingly tightly, preventing him from breaching more than an inch at a time.

"...Tilt your hips up a little," Niles' low voice requested, and Kamui mindlessly complied, using what was left of his lower body strength to arch his back. From this new angle, a whole new sensation washed over Kamui when Niles thrust into him, a myriad of stars bursting behind his tightly shut eyes. He wasn't privy to exactly what caused the new feeling, merely that he wanted more of it, and Niles was the only one that could give it to him.

"Niles–!” Kamui called out as Niles's powerful hips increased their speed, the impact of the archer's thighs against Kamui's reverberating throughout the room.

“Ohh, did I find it?” Niles teased with a sordid lilt to his voice, and Kamui had never heard Niles sound so completely and utterly undone.

"Niles, _please_ , move faster," Kamui breathed in response, incognizant of what Niles had apparently been searching for and not really caring all the same. His fingers left the archer's back to instead tangle in the taller man's snowy hair as the other clutched onto his strong upper arm that was supporting Niles' weight above him. Niles' hands, meanwhile, had been busy holding onto Kamui's hips to keep him in place, blunt fingernails digging into him salaciously. Kamui's heart was beating wildly in his chest, and there was no holding back the cascade of noises pouring from his raw throat at this point.

Niles practically growled when he heard the request, wrapping his arms around Kamui's slender back and pulling him up to sit on the archer's lap, holding him intimately close to his body as he continued his now upward thrusting. Kamui cried out once again at the change in angle and the delicious, unsolicited pleasure now consuming his mind and body, his skin hot to the touch and pressed flush up against Niles' own burning skin. The maid dress that had been, up until this point, bunched under Kamui's shoulders slid down the prince's torso more and more as their motions jostled the fabric, creating a barrier between them that stimulated both their susceptible chests. Kamui listened, enraptured, to each noise Niles made, the occasional groans and moans and sighs he let slip loose a serenade to Kamui's ears, even though they were partially buried beneath Kamui's own.

Even after all this time – though partially due to the new angle – Kamui still couldn't shake the twinge of pain every time Niles thrust into him, always so deeply and roughly, but the pleasure he received from each motion more than made up for it.

“...Have no idea... how much I wanted to do this to you last night...” Niles breathed next to Kamui's ear unexpectedly, and the sound of Niles voice acted as the catalyst to the shockwave of arousal that shot through the prince. “...First time I saw you in this dress... _Nghh_ , wanted you _so_ damn bad... wanted to fuck you so hard... you couldn't walk for a– _ahh–_ week...”

Kamui whined as he dazedly listened to Niles' filthy confessions, and if he still had any sort of functioning long-term memory at this point, he would have to remember to tell Niles later that he'd discovered that this was definitely one of his turn-ons.

His mind was currently blank at the moment, however, as Niles was being particularly brutal now, and Kamui wasn't sure how much more his body could take, especially when a calloused hand crept around to tease his long-neglected erection, instantly vaulting the sensations to an almost unbearable level. Niles didn't relent, though, instead grasping Kamui on one side of his hips and driving him down with such force, Kamui thought he might snap in half.

With one final thrust and a groan rumbling low in his chest, Niles hugged Kamui close to his torso, burying his face down into the prince's shoulder and finally releasing all that he'd had built up, Kamui following no more than a heartbeat after.

" _Kamui,_ " Niles growled, and it sounded like a profanity, the way he said his name.

“ _Ahhh_ , Niles!” Kamui cried out desperately, clawing at the man's back like his life depended on it, fluid gushing and sticking between their heated bodies as he finally teetered over the edge.

Niles held onto Kamui tightly as they rode out their highs, both panting heavily as they slowly but surely regained their senses. Kamui had all but collapsed against Niles' slick chest, and they remained that way as they both regulated their breathing and recovered from the sheer intensity of what had just taken place between them.

A few long, intimate moments later – during which Kamui relished in the feeling of Niles' strong arms holding onto him so lovingly – Niles gently lowered Kamui back onto the bed and gazed down at him, his navy eyes regarding him warmly.

"Satisfied?" Niles asked him, smoothing hair from his feverish brow. Kamui smiled blearily up at him, blinking his long lashes as his chest heaved.

"Mmhm," Kamui replied, syllables noticeably hoarse.

“You certainly sounded like you were," Niles grinned.

"Could you at least wait five minutes before you start making fun of me?" Kamui retorted, flushing at how scratchy his voice was.

"I wasn't making fun of you, it was just an observation," Niles said, chuckling at the unamused look he received from Kamui. “Glad to know it was a good experience for you. I would've hated to make your first time want to be your last time... this was your first time, right?”

Kamui's blush restrengthened as he nodded shortly in confirmation. Niles smirked as if he'd been sure of Kamui's answer the whole time, but the archer couldn't disguise the way he visibly relaxed upon being reassured.

“Not that I really needed to ask,” Niles voiced what Kamui had already gathered. An awkward sensation from down below caused a shiver to wrack Kamui's spine, and he belatedly realized that Niles was still quite present inside him, no longer as hard but just as hot and heady. Niles seemed to make the same deduction simultaneously, and he groaned when Kamui made a move to rectify their predicament.

“Um, can you please... get out of me?” Kamui asked, grimacing at the bizarre phrase that he never expected would leave his mouth.

“I _can_... or, we could go for another round..?” Niles suggested coquettishly, leaning over Kamui and subtly pushing himself deeper inside the man below him. The uncomfortable sensation of the already-there cum being disturbed made itself known quite readily as soon as the archer had shifted, and Kamui's hands flew up to grasp Niles' shoulders, preventing him from moving any further.

“N-no, I'm too tired,” Kamui responded, and he would've laughed at the pouty look he received from Niles if said man hadn't been in the process of removing himself from the prince's person. Once they were disconnected, Kamui couldn't help the moan that slipped out at the feeling of the leftover liquid overflowing from his entrance, the warm fluid trickling down his thighs that were still clothed in his – now quite tarnished – stockings. Now that he was of the mind to think about it, his dress was most likely ruined as well, and he heaved a sigh at the thought of spending another night washing his outfit that he really should try harder to keep clean.

“Are you alright?” Niles asked upon hearing the prince's exhalation, previously busy with using the extra gauze Felicia had brought him to clean up their mess as well as he could. He had already tucked himself away and appeared to be mostly put together – quite the contrast to the disheveled state Kamui was still in.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Kamui replied, voice still weak from the strain he'd put on it. He decided that he should probably work on getting his own mess tidied considering they were still at the risk of getting walked in on, no matter how lucky they'd been so far. Pushing himself up onto his hands, Kamui yelped and immediately curled back in on himself, lower back screaming in pain.

“A little sore, are you?” Niles chuckled at the prince's expense, hands held up in defense when he was shot a glare. “No need for the daggers, I was just teasing. It is kind of my fault, isn't it?”

“ _Kind of_?” Kamui croaked.

“Do you think you can sit up?” Niles asked, casually dodging the accusation. Kamui decided to drop it as well, far too tired to bother with arguing. In lieu of responding, Kamui once again made the effort to push himself up on his hands, groaning as the ache in his lower back begged him to stay down. Nonetheless, Kamui sat up of his own volition, but he was thankful for the help when he felt Niles arms move around his torso to support him, holding him steady.

“Try standing,” Niles said, moving off of the bed and gesturing for Kamui to do the same. “You might just be stiff.”

“O-okay,” Kamui acquiesced, scooting toward the edge of the mattress and planting his feet on the floor, but as soon as he tried to put his full weigh on them, his knees buckled, and he would've collapsed completely had it not been for Niles catching him.

“Or, maybe we can just rest here for a while,” Niles offered, helping Kamui get more comfortably situated on the bed. Kamui nodded, and Niles couldn't help but feel a little guilty when he heard the prince whine in pain. “...Sorry for being so rough. I knew you were fragile, but I didn't know there was a chance I'd actually break you.”

“Well, excuse me for not being able to take it like a champion during my first experience,” Kamui retorted matter-of-factly. Red washed over his cheeks as he thought back on the last stretch of their little tryst, how shameless they'd been, how shameless _he'd_ been. “...But I'm not upset with you. I think we both were a bit... reckless.”

“Mm,” Niles hummed his agreement, taking a seat close to the prince and hugging him in close, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. “For what it's worth, you were incredible.”

Kamui settled into the embrace, his face heating at the sly compliment.

“Thank you, I suppose,” Kamui replied hesitantly, voice slowly but surely recovering. “I'm glad you were... um, happy with it.”

“Did you think there was any way I wouldn't be?” Niles asked rhetorically. “It didn't matter how you preformed – it would've been amazing no matter what.”

“Why is that?” Kamui asked, a puzzled expression directed Niles' way.

“Because it was with you,” Niles said earnestly, gripping the prince's hand that was closest to him and using the hold to urge the shorter man into a gentle kiss. Kamui's face was a bright scarlet when they parted, and he glanced away when he felt the archer's gaze on him.

“...You're so cliché,” Kamui muttered after a moment.

“You keep saying that, but I always say what I mean,” Niles said, shrugging against Kamui. “And what I mean to say just so happens to come out cliché at times.”

“I still think you're secretly a big softie,” Kamui chided, chuckling airily.

“Hate to break it to you, but nothing about me is soft right now.”

“...Just help me get cleaned up.”

“Sure thing, _Kitten_.”

The subsequent pillow to his face was something Niles' fully anticipated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nearly 11,000 words of shameless poorly-written smut B YE
> 
> I hope everyone understands why I made the safe word meow bc honestly that was the singular phrase that made me fall so stupidly in love with Niles when I started his support with M!Kamui in the game what a NERD
> 
> anyway??? here's the dicks I promised part 2 I'm not super experienced writing porn so apologies if this is mega awful
> 
> thank you all so so much for reading I can't believe I've gotten over 100 kudos from the last chapter alone?? wow?? honestly this story is so fun to write and I'm really glad you're all enjoying it ;w;


	8. hap birth niles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a super tiny chapter with hardly any plot significance besides some more dumb fluff but I really really wanted to post something on Niles' b-day so please enjoy this small lame baby update

After another awkward ten minutes of Niles assisting Kamui in getting cleanly put back together, Kamui found himself propped on his forearms laid across Niles' lap, the taller man's dexterous hands rubbing gentle circles around the small of the prince's back. Kamui released a heavy sigh into his folded arms upon which his head was perched, eyes lazily closed as he enjoyed the ministrations.

“Feeling any better?” Niles questioned, digging his thumb into Kamui's tailbone and grinning at the resulting groan.

“Maybe,” Kamui responded dully, shifting so that his dress – that had now been scrubbed clean for the third time since he'd donned it – was more comfortably situated underneath him. He was still understandably sore from the pounding he'd received, mainly in his lower back, but he felt as though there was an ache in nearly every niche of his body at the moment. He furrowed his brow, wincing when Niles hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Everything hurts.”

“You sure know how to make a guy feel guilty,” Niles chided, the chuckle adorning his sentence indicative of his teasing.

“I hope you feel guilty,” Kamui responded with a pout, subconsciously arching into the man's touch. Despite his claim, his tone was magnanimous. “You were really rough with me.”

“Don't blame me – you were the one who was begging me to _please, go faster!_ ” Niles said emphatically, the octave of his voice a notch higher and exaggeratedly wanton, proceeded with a huff of a chortle as he felt the shorter man tense. “Who was I to deny a prince?”

“I don't sound like that!” Kamui said, indignant and face aflame.

“I think you'd be surprised to hear all the naughty things that came from that pretty mouth of yours,” Niles reminisced, laughter rumbling in his chest. “I know I sure as hell was.”

“Well, don't act as if you didn't say anything risqu _é,_ ” Kamui accused, rolling over in Niles' lap to look up at the archer with blushing cheeks.

“Oh, did I? Care to remind me?” Niles asked pretentiously, grin present on his face.

“I-I'm not repeating anything! You know what I'm referring to,” Kamui retorted, looking away from the man's smug expression.

“Of course I do, I just thought it'd be interesting to hear you say it,” Niles said, threading his fingers through Kamui's hair; he'd found that he had an odd fascination with it, sleek and soft as it was. “Not to mention you seemed pretty excited to hear it the first time...”

“I was just caught up in the moment,” Kamui fibbed, stomach flipping at the thought of those filthy confessions Niles had relayed to him during their most intimate moment. Now that his mind was clearer and his adrenaline lower, what he was confident enough to admit was much more inhibited, and that included revealing the fact that he had absolutely come undone hearing Niles speak that way to him. Even just reflecting on it caused a tingling sensation to spread through his lower regions.

“Sure, sure,” Niles waved off. In lieu of pursuing his jabbing, the archer leaned back on one hand, allowing his other to continue with its tousling. “You know, you still owe me a lunch date today.”

Thankful for the subject change, Kamui relaxed into Niles' touch, enjoying the man's mussing of his hair.

“I don't see how you could possibly be thinking about food right now,” Kamui began, eyes cutting to meet Niles' singular navy iris. “I'm so tired, I'd rather just retreat back to bed for a while...”

“Ah ah ahh, no sleeping,” Niles tutted, twirling a strand of the prince's hair around his calloused index. “You agreed to have lunch with me today – no backing out now.”

“Surely there's enough time for me to take a quick nap before then,” Kamui pleaded, slinging a forearm over his eyes. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Hmm,” Niles hummed, glancing outside the window and somewhat surprised to find that the sun had climbed much higher in the sky since he'd been admitted to the infirmary; they'd certainly been here for a while. “Looks like it's nearly noon.”

“Noon!?” Kamui echoed wildly, raising up with a suddenness that sent a pang through his spine and caused him to instantly collapse back onto Niles who smoothly brought the prince into his arms. Kamui winced, releasing a shuddering breath and feeling his face heat from both the embarrassment of forgetting that he was still crippled and from the feeling of a very warm, very firm chest pressing against him. Swallowing thickly, Kamui deviated his thoughts to the matter at hand. “...It's definitely later than I thought. I suppose if you're hungry, I wouldn't mind having lunch with you.”

“Good to hear,” Niles said, expression mischievous. He brought Kamui a bit closer to him, lips ghosting across the shell of the prince's ear. “...And if you're too sore to sit on those hard wooden benches, you know my lap is nice and comfortable.”

“N-no thank you, I'm sure I can manage,” Kamui responded hurriedly, using his palms as boosting pads to push away from Niles a bit, if for no other reason than to make breathing a bit easier; their combined heat was beginning to be smothering.

“We should probably get going before the cafeteria fills up, then,” Niles said, keeping his hands near Kamui's waist until he was sure that the prince was stable enough to sit up on his own. Standing from the bed, Niles stretched his arms over his head, grunting when he felt his injuries strain and quickly lowering his arms back to his sides.

“Are you okay?” Kamui asked, regarding Niles with a concerned expression. Niles brushed a hand over the bandage work decorating his torso where he knew his most critical wound lay underneath, sucking in a breath through his teeth.

“Yeah, it's nothing,” Niles responded casually, moving toward where he'd left his shirt and other adornments, preparing to fully reclothe himself. He retrieved his adventurer's top and slowly began to slide it over his arms, careful this time not to jostle his injury further.

“That doesn't seem like nothing,” Kamui said skeptically, scooting over toward the edge of the bed and holding out his arms. “Come here, I want to take a look.”

“At what, exactly?” Niles questioned, glancing back at Kamui over his shoulder.

“Your injuries. Besides, you should probably replace your bandages anyway after...” Kamui stammered, heat rising to his cheeks, “...earlier.”

“You just want an excuse to have me bare in front of you,” Niles grinned, obviously fronting, but the unimpressed look he received from Kamui was a clear enough refusal to give him his answer.

Rolling his eye with a sigh, Niles slid his shirt back off his arms, letting it fall back into his mess of clothing. Niles pivoted on his heel, walking toward Kamui who was still perched with his legs dangling off the mattress, proceeding to grip and pry the prince's knees apart and take his place between them. The shock of being so exposed so suddenly caused Kamui to instinctively clamp his thighs together, but instead, they flanked the archer's hips, caging the man closer to him. Niles smirked down at him as Kamui's cheeks flooded with red.

“Go ahead, then. Feel free to admire any part of me you want,” Niles offered.

Kamui swallowed thickly, raising his hands up to begin undoing the wrappings. The more he unwound, the more was revealed of Niles' toned torso, the more Kamui felt his determination slipping, but the moment the archer's wounded area came into view, the prince's eyes widened.

“You... You said _this_ was _nothing_!?” Kamui exclaimed, observing the various gashes and purpling bruises that marred the archer's stomach. He looked up at Niles incredulously, noticing how the man had turned his gaze away. Kamui narrowed his eyes, refocusing on removing the rest of the bandages from the man's abdominals and getting progressively irritated as the extent of Niles' battle scars were revealed.

“It's not that bad,” Niles amended, rolling his shoulders. “It looks nastier than it feels.”

“That doesn't matter,” Kamui admonished, countenance stern as he finally met the taller man's eyes. “You told me that those bandits didn't even break skin!”

“They didn't,” Niles replied, giving the prince a nonchalant look in return. “I've had these scars for a long time. Most of them aren't new.”

Kamui was slightly taken aback at that, immediately losing his irritation at the man. He redirected his attention to the aforementioned scars, affirming Niles' claim as Kamui noticed that most of them were far too faded to be fresh. It was quite a troubling picture the archer's stomach made, like a shredded canvas with paint splatters of indigo and mauve.

A feeling of dread washed over Kamui, the flickering thought he'd had this morning of Niles not returning to the castle alive smoldering at the back of his mind, now stoked by the reminder that this definitely wasn't the first time Niles had been in a harrowing situation.

Locomoting on that train of thought led Kamui to brush his thumb across one of the archer's now healed but still very much apparent scars, a lachrymose glint in his eye as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to the archer's skin.

Niles flinched at the unexpected contact, but all the same allowed the prince to do as he pleased, no matter how odd Niles considered the gesture to be. Sweet, he supposed, but certainly not precedented of a man who could hardly reference sex without spontaneously combusting.

True to form, however, it seemed that Kamui's senses came back to him almost as soon as his lips brushed against Niles' stomach, as he had no more made contact before he was pulling away, a pretty blush blooming on his cheeks.

“...Sorry,” Kamui said quietly after a beat of silence.

“What're you apologizing for? That was adorable,” Niles said, accentuating his compliment with an endeared chuckle.

“I meant that I'm sorry you've been so hurt in the past,” Kamui clarified, the unsettled expression on his face still quite present. “I knew that you didn't have the easiest childhood, but I had no idea that you'd been so... damaged.”

“Don't trouble yourself,” Niles intoned without hesitation, placing a warm hand over Kamui's that was still caressing the archer's torso. “You have enough on your plate without worrying about things that happened to me years in the past. I'm fine now, and that's all that matters.”

“...I suppose so,” Kamui relented, looking up at Niles earnestly. “But please don't feel like you need to hide things like this from me, okay? I don't want you to think I'm ever too busy to care about you.”

Niles could feel the temperature of his face rise in response to the overtly sincere way in which Kamui was regarding him, and he could only hope that his red cheeks weren't too obvious.

“I won't,” Niles responded, using the hold he had on the prince's hand to urge him forward, locking their lips in a tender kiss. It was over just as quickly as it started, but they both broke away with a smile.

“We should probably get you wrapped back up,” Kamui said after a moment, and Niles reached back to the bedside table, passing on the bandages that Felicia had left for him. Kamui waited for the man to hand him the gel as well, but Niles made no move to retrieve anything else. “Would you get me the soother too, please?”

“I would if there was any left,” Niles said, and Kamui sent him a confused look.

“What do you mean? Felicia just dropped some off,” Kamui retorted.

Wordlessly, Niles held up two fingers, scissoring them in the air; realization lit up the prince's face immediately.

“Oh.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday to my favorite white haired anime boy 
> 
> I hope everyone has taken the day off of school and/or work in observance of this national holiday


	9. maid outfits don't come with umbrellas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I can only write HARDCORE MANSMUT DON'T LIKE DON'T READ or ~*soft and warm like mashed potato*~ interactions between Niles and Kamui and there's hardly any in between

“Mm, you're really good at this,” Niles commented with a contented sigh as he watched Kamui's hands glide over his torso. “Have you done this before?”

“Not to anyone else, no,” Kamui responded, careful not to apply too much pressure as he went about his work.

“Maybe it's another perk of your class,” Niles said. “Maids excel at all sorts of servicing, after all.”

“Do you have some sort of impediment that makes you speak exclusively in innuendo?” Kamui chided, using the leverage he had on the gauze in his hand to pull the binding around Niles' waist painfully tight. Niles grunted, a huff of a breath leaving him as the wrap constricted.

“Not that I'm aware of,” Niles said stiffly, relaxing when Kamui slackened the bandages.

“So you just act like a pervert for the fun of it?”

“Naturally.” Niles straightened his back as Kamui tucked the gauze snugly into itself to keep it from unraveling.

“It's not as endearing as you think it is, you know,” Kamui teased, throwing a look up at the archer to which a grin was returned.

“It certainly worked on you,” Niles responded, pecking the prince's smiling lips with his own. Niles proceeded to cant backwards a few steps, rolling his shoulders with a grunt as he felt the bandages shift over his abrasions.

“Do they feel okay?” Kamui asked, watching the taller man stretch out his arms a bit. Kamui was still somewhat abashed by Niles' appearance, half-bandaged and half-undressed, so nicely toned and picturesque; the thought of that attractive figure towering over him not so long ago caused his stomach to flip.

“They'll take some getting used to, but you did a flawless job, as expected,” Niles complimented, gyrating his left arm to test the give. Satisfied, Niles grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head and adjusting it over the bandages. “And now that you're done playing nurse, are you ready to go to the cafeteria?”

“Sure,” Kamui said, preparing to carefully make his way off of the mattress when a loud rumbling outside made the pair pause. Kamui's ears twitched, and he recognized the sound almost instantly. “...Was that thunder?”

“Seems so,” Niles said after a moment, brow furrowing. “I didn't even know it was possible for it to rain here.”

“Well, there's a day-and-night cycle, so it stands to reason that it can be affected by weather, too,” Kamui said. “It has rained here a few times – though not since you've joined our group, now that I think about it.”

“The Astral Plains sure are an enigma,” Niles commented more so to himself than to the prince who was looking at the dark clouds forming outside the infirmary's adjacent window. “Lilith fixed you up one hell of a campsite.”

“It beats sleeping on the war grounds,” Kamui said, to which Niles made a noise of agreement.

“We should get going before the rain picks up,” Niles said, moving beside Kamui to place a hand on the prince's lower back. “Wouldn't want your darling dress to get ruined again.”

“Ha-ha, hilarious,” Kamui deadpanned, accepting Niles' aid in hopping down from the cot. His heels clicked on the tile floor as his feet braced underneath him, and the prince was glad to find that some of his soreness had abated.

Another crack of thunder rolling through the castle site caught his attention, making the room around he and Niles vibrate; he looked toward the window once more, agitated to find drops of rain had already started pelting against the pane.

“Damn, looks like we'll be getting out in the thick of it.” Niles had been heading toward the infirmary's exit when the commotion outside gave him pause as well. He looked back to Kamui. “Would you rather wait it out here?”

The thought of cozying up together with Niles while they weathered the storm wasn't altogether unappealing, but by now, Kamui actually had developed somewhat of an appetite; after all, his breakfast venture had been interrupted by the possibility of Niles being tossed into the morgue, so he hadn't had a meal since twenty four hours earlier. Not to mention that there was bound to be a search party sent out for them eventually considering they'd both been MIA for the better part of the morning.

“I think we should probably try to make it to the lunch hall before the rain gets any worse,” Kamui said, following after Niles – the slight catch in his step didn't go unnoticed by either of them. “Who knows how bad it could get? There isn't exactly a forecast for an ethereal realm.”

“Then we should get going. It's already coming down pretty hard.” Niles punctuated his sentence by grabbing up his Adventurer's cape that had been draped over the coat rack near the entrance, pausing for a moment before turning back to the prince and offering up said cape. “Care to use this again?”

“No, no, you should have it – it's your cape, after all,” Kamui said, waving his hands as if to banish the thought. “It's not your fault that my outfit wasn't equipped with an umbrella.”

“You know, I only asked for the formality,” Niles said, ignoring Kamui's protests when the archer slung his cape over the smaller man's head, letting the bolt drape all the way down to his ankles. “This is the one time I wouldn't want you to get wet because of me.”

“You–!”

“Come on, there's no time for you to get embarrassed,” Niles said, urging Kamui ahead of him and opening the door to the infirmary; they were greeted by sheets of rain camouflaging the castle grounds.

Kamui heard Niles mutter a curse under his breath before Kamui was suddenly lifted off his feet, a short sound of surprise escaping him as his caped body became bowed in the archer's arms. He blinked at the change in position and shot Niles a disgruntled look, though it was met with nothing but the angular chin of the man who was apparently much more focused on the torrent outside than any sort of reprimand Kamui was prepared to give him.

“Quicker this way.” Niles didn't say anything more, dashing out the door and into the downpour. Kamui – amongst a slew of other thoughts – was somewhat surprised to find how rainproof the cape covering him was, though he supposed that it must've been built for inclement conditions considering it was a sort of battle armor. Kamui felt as if he was being forced through a turbine, so quick and so roughly was he being pushed through the slew of wind and water.

He was made aware of their location when he heard the sound of the raindrops hammering against a tin roof – ostensibly, the lunchroom's. It seemed that they had made it there in record time, but he supposed he could attribute that to the fact that he was being transported via one of the fastest members of the army. Still, he could feel the archer's chest heaving in exertion beside where he was being held tightly against him.

Speaking of said man, Niles had pivoted and pushed his back on the swinging doors of the cafeteria as they approached, bursting inside much to the surprise of the lunchroom attendants. Amongst the various shocked faces that greeted them were Leo and Odin, both of whom looked up from their stations and immediately began walking toward the soaked pair; the others present inside went about their way when they realized there was no eminent threat.

Niles heaved a sigh as he knelt and gently slid Kamui from his arms, making sure that the prince was stable on his feet and that his dress was appropriately situated.

“Are you alright?” Niles asked under the curtain of damp white hair that obscured his face, strands dripping all over the tile floor beneath him. Kamui was still busying himself with heaving off the heavily drenched fabric, arranging it to where he was at least able to see the man in front of him; he couldn't help but chuckle when he saw how absolutely drowned Niles looked.

“I'm fine, but I'm not the one who just ran full force through a thunderstorm. Are _you_ alright?” Kamui countered, using the hand that wasn't holding up the cape to brush wet hair from Niles' face tenderly. The archer smiled warmly in return, single visible eye gazing at Kamui in such a way that made the prince blush. Niles didn't get the chance to respond, however, since they were intercepted by a very surprised Odin and a very wry Leo.

“Whoa, whoa, where have you two been?!” Odin asked upon meeting them, scanning up and down Niles' rain-soaked body.

“Yes.” Leo sauntered up beside his retainers, sparing a glance at Kamui but mainly focusing on Niles. “Where _have_ you two been?”

“The infirmary,” Niles answered honestly, though the mischief underlying those two simple words was palpable. Kamui was frozen next to him; he couldn't believe that Niles was maintaining his calm. “I had assumed that Odin couldn't wait to tell you all about my unfortunate run in during the siege.”

“He told me that you stupidly got yourself injured when you went off on your own like a dunce,” Leo responded, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Niles. “How much of that is true?”

“I _did_ go off on my own and I suppose I _did_ get injured,” Niles said, flicking off a bit of water and smirking at the aggravated ' _hey!_ ' he received when it landed on Odin. “How intelligent I was during that charade can probably be debated.”

“Cute,” Leo deadpanned. “I'm sure it'll be even more adorable when that attitude of yours gets you killed.”

“Aww,” Niles cooed, “were you worried about me?”

“Of course not,” Leo waved off, looking away from Niles. “I knew you were capable enough to handle yourself.”

“But, didn't you go and check–“ Odin chimed in, though he was immediately cut off.

“Kamui!” Leo blurted, stepping in front of Odin and startling Kamui, being so suddenly addressed. “Why do you still have that soaked cape on? You must be miserable, drenched as you are.”

“Well, actually, it kept me pretty dry–“

“Odin, take him to the linen closet to get him a towel,” Leo ordered, shooting Odin a 'do-it-and-don't-ask-questions' look from where he was standing.

“But I really don't need–“

“Yes, sir!” Odin said, stepping toward Kamui and shoving on the prince's shoulders to urge him to the back room. “Come along, Prince Kamui! Your former dryness will be restored in no time!”

Kamui felt the lingering pain in his lower back surge through him when he was pushed forward, causing him to stumble briefly, but he kept his lips sealed to prevent any further awkward reactions. Odin seemed oblivious, but Niles caught the way Leo's eyes cut from his older brother to his wayward retainer suspiciously.

“Not going to offer me a towel?” Niles asked pitifully as soon as Kamui and Odin were out of earshot. “How cruel you are to your most loyal retainer, Leo. Your _injured_ one, no less.”

“You seem fine to me,” Leo said clandestinely, posture suspiciously casual. Niles wasn't sure what to make of Leo's odd candor until the youngest prince continued. “I doubt that one with any sort of vital injury would be so quick to engage in the activities you've been a part of this morning.”

“...You're referring to me carrying your brother over here?” Niles tried, words lilted hopefully.

“I wish I was,” Leo said, and the look Niles received from the prince told him quite clearly _exactly_ what he was referring to.

“...Ah, so you did come to check on me, then,” Niles said somewhat stiffly, toeing the line to gauge how wrathful Leo was. Judging by how he brought up the subject, it didn't seem as though the prince was ready to cause a scene right here at the front of the cafeteria, but Niles knew – probably better than anyone – how quickly Leo could detonate.

“I certainly did,” Leo said, eerily calm. “And it sounded like you were doing fine, so I didn't bother to stay long.”

“Right,” Niles said, slowly coming to terms with what they both knew Leo was implying.

“I suppose Kamui should be a primary healer, after all,” Leo said suggestively. He leaned in a bit, and Niles followed the cue. “It seems like he did wonders for you.”

“...Would you mind giving me a two minute leeway? I'd like to at least tell Kamui goodbye before you obliterate me,” Niles said, only half-joking.

“No need.” Leo leaned back, meeting his retainer's eye. “There are no consequences at this point. He seems content enough – I witnessed his little public display of affection before Odin and I interrupted. And as long as he stays that way, I won't interfere.”

“How gracious you are, Mil– Leo,” Niles said gratefully, tripping over the honorific out of habit.

“I'm as gracious as you'll have me be, Niles,” Leo said. “I do not wish to lord over Kamui's personal affairs – nor yours, truthfully – but I also do not wish for him to be afflicted by my retainer who can't keep his hands to himself.”

“You mean Odin? He is awfully handsy.”

“Would you still like that two minute leeway?”

“I'll go get dried off,” Niles amended, strolling away from his liege who rolled his eyes fondly as the man left.

 _I can't believe he actually caught me fucking his brother –_ _Kamui and I didn't even hear him come in._ Niles thought to himself on the way to the linen closet. _Leo really is a force to be reckoned with._

As Niles neared the closet beyond the lunch counter, he heard a commotion going on mingled with Odin's and Kamui's voices. He quirked an eyebrow when he picked up on what sounded like a pile of cloth hitting the floor as well Kamui's distressed whine.

“No, I'm fine, you can just hand me the towel.” Niles leaned against the doorframe just out of view, listening to Kamui talk with his fellow retainer.

“But Lord Leo instructed me to have you dry! I must carry out his request lest I disappoint him!” Odin said, accompanied by another thump of fabric.

“He told you to get me a towel that I didn't even need,” Kamui responded, and Niles almost chuckled at the prince's sardonic tone. “And would you please hand me the cape back?”

“It requires a hanging, Prince Kamui – it's absolutely soaked through,” Odin said, and another stir took place following the sound of wet cloth being slung to the side.

“Don't pull on it, it might rip! Listen, I'd really rather just– wait, don't move too far back! You're going to–!”

“Whoa!”

The distinct sound of two bodies hitting the floor – coupled with what sounded like even more bundles of cloth being jostled about – reached Niles' ears, and it was at that point the archer decided it was time to intervene.

Casually rounding the corner as if he hadn't been eavesdropping for the past minute, Niles was greeted with the sight of Leo's extravagant retainer and older brother in a tangled heap on the floor of the linen closet, surrounded by several shelf-worths of towels and washcloths. Niles' still-damp cape had draped itself over Kamui who had landed on top of Odin; the dark mage was half-buried beneath swatches of various fabrics, slightly disoriented. Odin regained his senses quickly enough, however, and the first thing he took notice of was the prince slowly rising up from where he had been dragged down – Kamui braced his hands on Odin's shoulders and came to perch himself on the blond's lap. So startled was Odin that he followed suit – albeit, more violently – and ended up knocking their heads together, causing them both to yelp at the unexpected pain.

“Agh, my deepest and most sincere apologies, Prince Kamui,” Odin groaned, rubbing at the sore spot on his forehead. “The Dark Ones certainly won't be pleased with me for this folly.”

“No worries,” Kamui chuckled, mirroring Odin and bringing a hand to his head; he winced as he felt a bruise beginning to develop. “At least we had something soft to land on.”

“Here, allow me to help you up.”

The voice that hit Kamui's ear was not the one he expected – much deeper and more sultry was the tone compared to Odin's, and he recognized it immediately. Whipping his head around, he was met with the oh-so-familiar face of Niles, shit-eating grin ever present and a hand patronizingly offered to the prince.

“Ah, Niles, how serendipitous!” Odin declared, smiling up at his friend as Kamui placed his palm over Niles'. “Did Lord Leo deploy you to Prince Kamui's aid, as well?”

“Not exactly,” Niles said, gently pulling Kamui to his feet and simultaneously offering his other hand to Odin. “I suppose I just had the sixth sense to know you two might want a little help.”

“The spirits never fail to beckon their vessels to locations of conflict,” Odin said cryptically, Niles rolling his eye as the mage accepted the boost to his soles.

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Odin,” Niles said flippantly, but Odin seemed to be pleased, nonetheless. “By the way, Lord Leo asked to speak with you – he mentioned something about wanting to know more about the specifics of your class.”

“Ohh, how exciting!” Odin said giddily, bouncing on his heels. “I knew Lord Leo was simply feigning disinterest before! Ah, Niles, would you finish tending to Prince Kamui? I mustn't keep Milord in anticipation!”

“No problem,” Niles said not unkindly, sparing a coquettish glance at the prince who gave the archer a nonplussed look. “Try not to make Lord Leo too jealous of you.”

“Oh, I'd never!” Odin blanched, turning back to Niles as he rounded the doorframe. “I'll try to tone down my brilliance so that he feels not one shred of envy.”

“You do that,” Niles waved, chuckling as he watched Odin leave. He strode over to the door, flicking it closed and pivoting so that he was facing the prince; he was intrigued to find a skeptical look accenting Kamui's features. Niles smirked, walking back over to Kamui and placing his hands around the shorter man's waist, tugging him closer. “I'd love to know what's making your cute nose crinkle at me like that.”

“Leo already knows all about Odin's class – probably even more in depth than Odin.” Kamui didn't allow himself to be distracted by Niles' touch; he sent a knowing look up at the archer. “You're a dirty liar, aren't you?”

“I wouldn't say _dirty_ ,” Niles said, leaning down to nuzzle Kamui's hair. “Admittedly, I didn't get the chance to shower off after this morning's battle, or after our little... rendezvous.”

“The downpour you ran through should've taken care of that,” Kamui said, leaning into Niles. However, after a moment, his face scrunched and he pushed against the archer's chest to put a bit of space between them. “But you're definitely not... fresh. You smell like muddy rainwater.”

“Oh, and I suppose that you smell like a bed of roses?” Niles countered, swooping down to take a whiff of Kamui's person; Kamui couldn't prevent himself from chuckling. “...Maybe not muddy, but you've got quite a watery aroma, too. Not the most pleasant.”

“You're just saying that because I made fun of you.” Kamui laughed, the sound warming Niles' rain-chilled body. “Besides, I don't mind it. It's not quite as nice as the bonfire scent you usually carry around, but it isn't awful.”

“Bonfire, you say?” Niles parroted with a grin, and he took note of the way Kamui froze, as if caught. “How would you know that's how I normally smelled?”

“I-it's a really strong scent!” Kamui defended, not meeting the archer's eyes. “Everyone's noticed it – it's not hard to pick up on.”

_Not that I've got statistics to prove it, but surely it wasn't just me that picked up on it... right?_

“You're probably right,” Niles said, thoroughly unconvincing, but Kamui was thankful that he was at least letting him off the hook for now. “It's not surprising, I suppose.”

“Why do you smell like that, anyway?” Kamui asked, curiosity overcoming the want to drop the subject.

“I slip out of the barracks to watch the stars.” Niles adopted a faraway look in his eyes as he explained. “It's almost always cold at night here, so I set up fire pits to keep off the chill. I usually stay out until the flames die, but the smoke stays with me.”

“...I see,” Kamui said pensively, observing the odd look that had overcome Niles' countenance. “The view must be beautiful outside – I've caught sights of the night sky through my quarter's windows that take my breath away.”

“It is beautiful, especially from the spot I've got set up,” Niles said, smiling down at Kamui. “Would you like to accompany me tonight? The sky should be exceptionally clear after the rain.”

Kamui smiled back.

“I'd love to.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W E L P
> 
> this sure was a(nother filler) chapter
> 
> sometimes I wonder if I'm going overboard with Odin's colloquialisms but then I read some of his support conversations and I don't think I've made him archaic enough
> 
> (I'm sorry it's been 8 years since I updated but I should be back on track to write quicker since I've got significantly less life responsibilities for now and I forgot how fun this is to write)


	10. have your cake and eat it too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> howdy partners I know it's been eight years since the last update and I apologize 10000 times over but I've taken the time to figure out how I want the plot to go for the rest of the story (basically) so updates SHOULD be faster now that I know where the heck in the gosh dang world I'm going with this mess
> 
> anyway *fucks off again for the next eight years*

If asked about it later, Kamui probably wouldn't be able to give anyone a very solid answer as to how and why a conversation about Niles' nighttime habits led to one of the archer's hands hoisting up Kamui's leg around his waist, or the hot mouth moving heatedly against his own, or the indecent amount of sounds pouring from his throat, or the still-damp strands of Niles' hair dripping over his cheeks as their lips glided over one another.

He could give a general summary, ostensibly; Niles had teetered into sentimental territory with all his whimsical talk of watching the stars by firelight, along with his alluring promise to invite Kamui to go with him, and that amorous feeling naturally transferred over. The prince had laid a hand upon the taller man's cheek beguilingly, he'd been brought into a kiss, and it had only spiraled from there.

Now, before he'd entered into this relationship, before _Niles_ , Kamui would've been abashed at the thought of being so intimate in such a public place, only a thin oak door separating he and his lover from a million and one questions as well as a lifetime’s worth of scandalized looks and gossipmongers. But now, much as his muddled mind had addressed when they were just as much in danger of discovery back in the infirmary, he was thoroughly convinced that no reprimand he would receive could be more torturous than tearing himself away from Niles laving attention onto him at this moment in time.

Speaking of which, Niles had begun trailing a line of kisses from the corner of Kamui's mouth, across his sensitive ear, and down his neck – paying special attention to the areas already bruised from their previous sessions – after pushing away the bothersome fabric of Kamui's uniform collar. Kamui hissed when Niles bit down on a particularly susceptible spot, hands clamping down on the archer's shoulders and nearly shredding the fabric of his still-drying undershirt. Niles, in turn, winced at the sheer force of Kamui's blunt nails digging into his arms, but was nonetheless undeterred; conversely, he sunk his teeth in harder, enjoying the whimpering moan that escaped the prince as well as the even greater force Kamui applied to his shoulder.

“N-Niles... h-hurts,” Kamui breathed, shuddering as he felt the pressure fade over the bite and be replaced by a soothing press of lips.

“Want me to stop?” Niles asked, momentarily surprised at how absolutely debauched his own voice sounded, rough and breathy as it was. Recovering, he grinned briefly, running his tongue over his latest handiwork that had already begun to purple and bloom, at the same time hooking Kamui's leg further around his waist and pressing up against him closer; he could feel the price's hardness there, much as he was sure that Kamui could feel his.

“ _Gods_ ,” Kamui opted to say instead of an answer, face blossoming scarlet, his whole lower half tingling. His leg was definitely falling asleep, but that was about the only part of him that wasn't thrumming at attention; he would've been more embarrassed about his quite obvious erection if Niles wasn't so plainly bawdy about anything and everything sexual between them.

“No, Kitten, I’m _Niles_ ,” the archer chuckled airily, and he could feel as Kamui’s entire body froze.

If Niles wasn't so fantastically turned on right now, he would've absolutely lost it at the look that crossed Kamui's features when the nickname hit his ears. Or, rather, _looks –_ disbelief, shock, embarrassment, irritation, and the list went on, but it seemed that the prince couldn't decide on exactly what he should be feeling at the moment.

“W-what– why–? Why did you call me that?” Kamui asked lamely, desperately trying to ignore the way that Niles was still very much pressed against his lower body in order to maintain his miffed expression.

“Call you what?” Niles asked faux-innocently, swooping down in order to steal a kiss, but the prince turned his head, making the archer's lips collide with his cheek instead.

“You know what.” Kamui did his best to look haughty, but it wasn't convincing in the least, flustered as he was. Niles grinned.

“It's a good nickname for you,” Niles responded simply, this time successful in his attempt to press a kiss to Kamui's lips. “It's cute.”

Kamui, indignant, opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of harsh knocking on the door to the linen closet made both he and Niles jolt.

“Niles! Kamui!” It was Leo – a very exasperated sounding Leo, at that. “Lunch hour is almost past, and we'll be closing up the buffet soon, so if you two want anything to eat without having to cook it yourselves, I suggest coming forward.”

Niles, mildly aggravated about being interrupted, let out a sigh that wisped against Kamui's cheek. The prince, meanwhile, was still too caught up in being agitated by the pet name to hardly care about what his younger brother had said. He shot a pouty look up at Niles as the archer straightened up a bit.

“We'll be out in a moment, Lord Le– _ohhh_.”

“Niles? What's going on?” Leo asked, a lilt of concern in his tone.

Unbeknownst to the youngest royal standing just outside the door, Kamui had arched himself up on a single heel, leaning into Niles and sinking his teeth directly into the space above archer's clavicle as he spoke. Niles sucked in a breath through his lips as he felt the prince's Manakete incisors slice through his skin, pain sparking from the contact points.

“Nothing, Milord,” Niles responded evenly, every ounce of his self-control funneling into making his voice unaffected. “Keep the food warm for us.”

“...Okay,” Leo responded warily, and Niles could practically hear the suspicion seep into his tone. “Don't be long.”

“We won't.”

Niles heard his liege's heeled shoes click back down the hallway, and the archer let loose a shuddering breath against the prince who was still paying special attention to the spot which he'd abused, giving it gentle kisses and licks between scraping his teeth along the forming bruise.

“What's this all about?” Niles asked with an amused tone, preening from the attention Kamui was paying to him.

“Revenge, obviously,” Kamui responded simply, seeming to finally be satisfied with his work as he pulled back and proudly eyed the mark he'd left behind.

“My, my, I didn’t know you to be so vindictive. But whatever for?” Niles asked, even though it was apparent to both of them that he already knew the answer.

“The ridiculous nickname,” Kamui replied. “Not to mention all of the _very hard to hide_ bites you've left all over me. I figured it was time that you had to deal with one of your own.”

“You know, if you wanted to mark me, all you had to do was say so,” Niles said with a lascivious grin. “I'm not opposed to the idea of everyone knowing I belong to you.”

“T-that wasn't the point,” Kamui said, somewhat shyly. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he took an odd amount of comfort in knowing that the others would be aware that Niles wasn't available, especially if Niles didn't mind the label. “But, uh, I won't be offended if you hide it. I just... wanted to do it, I guess, since you're so fond of doing it to me.”

“Right,” Niles said noncommittally, obviously privy to Kamui's intentions. “Do you see the appeal, then?”

“Not really,” Kamui said, nose crinkling a bit. “You taste like dirty rainwater, too.”

“Harsh,” Niles said with a wounded expression, but it wasn't a moment later that a coquettish grin spread over his face. “If you want, we could skip lunch and you could come help me wash up in the showers. There wouldn't be anyone there at this time of day.”

“Tempting as that sounds,” Kamui began sardonically, “I've actually grown quite hungry, and lunch hour is almost over.”

“You're no fun.”

“But...” Kamui continued, color returning to his cheeks as he glanced away. “...Maybe after we eat.”

“Did I say you're no fun? What I meant to say was that you're wonderful and that I'd be happy to fix you a plate,” Niles amended, sliding his hand down Kamui's arm to grab the prince's hand. “Come, let's go get lunch.” A grin. “You’ll need your energy.”

 _Insatiable_ , Kamui thought to himself as he was pulled away. A fond smile was on his face, nonetheless.

.:.

When they’d reconvened with Leo and Odin – who were still manning the lunch counter – they were met with mixed responses. Odin was absolutely elated, and from the somewhat frazzled look Leo wore, Niles and Kamui could only imagine that Odin had gone through with his plan to tell his liege every in and out of his new master class in excruciating detail.

“Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook,” Leo said sternly to Niles when the archer had passed by his station, scooping up a cup of vanilla ice cream onto his tray. “I had to listen to Odin prattle on about the minutiae of his new fighting style for what seemed like hours.”

“Normally I’m inclined to sympathize with you, but surely Kamui and I couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes,” Niles said, casually adding another cup of strawberry ice cream alongside his other flavor.

“Try _thirty_ ,” Leo gritted, at the same time slapping Niles’ hand away from where he had dove in for yet another cup of ice cream.

“Oh,” Niles responded casually, thoroughly nonplussed. “I guess we just got caught up in–”

“Stop,” Leo said abruptly, holding up a hand. “I can’t possibly express how much I don’t want to know what kept you so long,” his eyes drifted down over Niles’ person, “not that I can’t adequately deduce from that smattering across your neck.”

Niles brought a hand up to where he knew the dark mark on his clavicle lay, feeling it sting when he applied a bit of pressure to it. Kamui had really done a number on him, in more ways than one; it had taken him conjuring up some of the most volatile memories of his past to will away his rising arousal after that little stunt.

“Ah, right, I’d nearly forgotten about it,” Niles fibbed smoothly. “Your brother can certainly be a minx when he wants to be.”

A smirk split across Niles’ lips as he observed the bit of blush that powdered Leo’s cheeks at his crude statement. He knew he really shouldn’t be pushing his luck as much as he was, but to rile the usually reticent prince was an opportunity his mischievous nature would never allow him to pass up.

“Just get your plate and move along before I decide to end the lunch hour early,” Leo quipped, but Niles could tell that he was more embarrassed than mad. Niles had thought that Leo having a wife like Charlotte would’ve loosened him up a bit and made him more comfortable with sensuality and the talk of it, but Niles was both disappointed and pleased to find that Leo had remained his uptight, easily-flustered self.

Or, Niles supposed, it could be because the conversation was in reference to his retainer fucking his older brother. A combo, perhaps.

“My compliments to the chef,” Niles said patronizingly to his huffy lord as he picked up his tray to leave, hearing a sarcastic – and quite undignified – snort come from Leo in return.

As Niles turned around to find Kamui, he spotted the prince further down the lunch line, placing a serving of fruit on his tray that was already stacked with a helping of salmon and several biscuits. Kamui had paused to take stock of his food momentarily, and that gave Niles ample time to appreciate the view; Kamui truly was beautiful. Maid outfit or princely garb or sans clothes altogether, Niles adored everything about the man, and had for quite some time. It wasn’t hard to do even subconsciously, as Kamui’s natural good looks coupled with the way he carried himself and the aura of warmth he bore made him a prime candidate for admiration. Not to mention, as Niles had been lucky enough to observe firsthand, Kamui had a magnetic personality, one that left Niles at a loss of how to deal with wanting to be around someone more than he had ever wanted to be alone.

“–and if you want to share, I don’t mind, since this was the last one… uh, Niles?”

Apparently, Niles had been so caught up in thinking about Kamui, he hadn’t even noticed said prince walking right up to him and making conversation. Niles blinked, refocusing on Kamui who had was regarding him oddly.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was offering to share the last slice of cake with you. It was left over from last night’s celebration dinner, but it should still be good. Interested?” Kamui asked for the second time.

“What flavor?” Niles asked, thankful that Kamui hadn’t bothered to ask what was on his mind.

“Red velvet, I think,” Kamui said, holding the cake up closer to himself to examine it. “Plain vanilla icing.”

“Sounds good,” Niles said, giving Kamui a small smile; warmth blossomed through his stomach when the smile was returned, even more endearing and dazzling his own, he was sure.

The two made their way over to a small, four-seated table on the right side of the cafeteria near a window, Niles taking his place next to Kamui after the prince had sat down in the chair closest to the wall.

Niles had just begun breaking the seal over his ice cream cup when he noticed Kamui absently gazing out the lucarne, watching the rain pelting against the glass. An odd air was about him, a contrast to the conviviality he’d displayed not five minutes prior.

“It’s been raining for a while now,” Kamui noted, voice nearly drowned by the downpour.

Niles gazed at him for a moment, looking back to his ice cream cup when he decided that Kamui was transfixed.

“Mmhm,” Niles agreed with a hum, digging out a spoonful of vanilla and popping it in his mouth; the cold felt soothing against his tongue after its little ‘battle’ with Kamui’s. “Wonder when it’ll slacken up.”

“Yeah…” Kamui muttered, obviously not paying any attention to what Niles had said. Niles arced a brow at him, but said nothing more, figuring that he’d made a solid attempt at conversing and that if the prince wished to stew in his thoughts, who was Niles to interrupt him? Besides, Niles had two cups of ice cream waiting for him – maybe even a third if he could seduce his prissy lord into handing another over.

Their lunch was quiet for a while after that; the only sounds were Niles’ metal spoon shoveling spoonfuls of vanilla and strawberry into his mouth and Kamui maintaining a harrowed expression while taking careful nibbles from his fruit and salmon. It didn’t take long for Niles to finish (what barely constituted as) his meal, and by the time he’d managed to thieve another cup from under Leo’s nose, Niles found Kamui with his half-empty plate pushed back and his cerise gaze still intently directed out the window, looking nothing if not distressed.

Narrowing his eye, Niles set his hard-earned cup to the side, instead focusing in on the idle plate that held the quite decadent piece of red velvet cake, untouched, with two forks set off to the side. Bringing it closer to himself, Niles scooted in closer to Kamui, nudging the prince with his elbow; this finally got Kamui’s attention as he jumped slightly, looking to Niles who was regarding him calculatingly.

“Sorry, did you say something?” Kamui asked.

“I was just wondering if you’d like a bite of cake,” Niles said nonchalantly, offering a fork for the prince. Kamui smiled a bit, nodding as he took the untensil from Niles and making a move with it toward the edge of the dessert; however, before he could dig in, Niles slid the plate out of his reach, and he smirked at the puzzled expression Kamui sent his way. “Ah, ah, ahhh~, you have to earn it first.”

“Wha– Why?” Kamui questioned. “I was the one who got it in the first place.”

“I just want you to tell me what’s on your mind,” Niles said, regardless. “You’ve been staring out that window for the past fifteen minutes. I can’t say I haven’t had worse lunch dates, but this is the first time someone has actively ignored me through the whole thing.”

Kamui shrunk back a bit at that.

“Oh… sorry,” Kamui said, disgruntled. His eyes slid to the window – where the rain was still quite heavily coming down – and back to Niles. “I just… I have a bad feeling.”

“Are you okay?” Niles asked, and Kamui’s heart swelled a bit at the concern lacing his voice. “Do you think it has anything to do with earlier?”

Kamui fought down the redness that threatened to overtake his face, shaking his head and waving his hands.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Kamui said. “I’m fine, but I feel like something’s… off, like … in the universe. If that makes any sense…”

Niles nodded his head, not so much in the ‘yes, I totally understand what you mean’ way, but rather ‘please continue, even though I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

“I mean, before, when it rained here – back before you joined our group – it would only rain for a little while, and it was never very strong, nothing much more than a heat shower. But… the odd thing was, whenever it would rain, usually, shortly after, an invasion would follow. Again, nothing overwhelming – a few troops from neighboring lands, somehow ending up in our realm despite Lilith’s magical influence keeping them at bay. Camilla and Elise could basically send out their retainers by themselves to take all of them on, and they’d have the field cleared before we hardly even knew anyone had breached our barriers.” Kamui paused, taking in and letting out a deep breath. “But… now that it’s been raining for so long, and so violently, I’m… afraid.”

Niles had listened intently while Kamui spoke, slipping a comforting arm around the prince’s waist as he’d laid out his fears before him. The archer was contemplative for a moment, rubbing gentle circles on Kamui’s hip.

“Well, it’s at least good to know that it wasn’t me you were sulking over.” A sharp jab in Niles’ side caused a grunt of pain to escape him, but he quickly recovered. “Sorry, sorry, I know you’re upset.”

“I am,” Kamui responded gravely. “This could be a really bad omen.”

“ _Or_ ,” Niles speculated, “it could be that all those incidents before were coincidences. We’ve had invaders when it wasn’t raining – just like yesterday.”

“I know, but you weren’t here before,” Kamui said, voice dimmer. “There were always, always invaders right after the rain stopped, _always_. As soon as the last drop would hit the ground, Lilith would come to warn us that the magic holding up the castle walls had been punctured, and the troops would start filing in. I wasn’t worried before because they’d been so easy to deal with in the past, but this thunderstorm has been raging for over an hour now. Who knows how many might show up after it subsides… how strong they might be… and I’m _helpless_ –”

“Kamui.”

The prince stiffened at the sound of his name being spoken, and he was somewhat surprised to find Niles regarding him with such a serious expression.

“ _Calm down_. I’m not saying your fears are unfounded, but simply worrying about it isn’t going to help matters. If you’re really concerned, you should go talk to your siblings about it – get them ready to rally everyone. There’s no sense in anticipating what you’re saying is inevitable.”

“…Yeah, you’re right. Thank you,” Kamui said with a weak smile. “But… would you go with me? Not just so you’ll shield me from the rain, but for, ah, you know… backup?”

“Of course, Kitten,” Niles responded beguilingly, but before the prince could retort, another presence made themselves known on the other side of their table as they approached, tray in hand.

“Hey, Kamui,” Silas greeted, an amicable smile directed Kamui’s way. Niles was surprised when the smile was directed toward him as well, though the simple head nod in acknowledgement didn’t come across quite as friendly.

“Hi, Silas!” Kamui greeted, shrugging off Niles’ petname for now and instead directing an equally fond smile up to his friend.

“Do you mind if I sit down with you guys?” Silas asked politely, though he’d already placed his tray on the table in anticipation of Kamui’s agreement.

“Ah, I wouldn’t mind at all, but Niles and I were actually just about to leave to have a conference with Xander,” Kamui replied.

“Is everything all right?” Silas asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.

“For now, yes,” Kamui said, a bit meekly. “But do be on standby in case you’re called for later, okay?”

“…Okay,” Silas said warily, but nonetheless took a seat where he’d been hovering. “Just call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Silas, I know I can count on you,” Kamui said with a proud smile at his friend who ducked his head with the pretense of taking a bite of his grilled chicken, a blush present on his cheeks. “I’m sorry I had to leave as soon as you got here, but it’s something I need to take care of.”

“I understand – official Nohrian royal family business and all that,” Silas responded teasingly. The unsaid ‘ _even though I can’t fathom why the hell Niles is going with you’_ hung in the air.

“Right,” Kamui chuckled, though a thought seemed to come to him as he suddenly jolted and turned toward Niles; the archer had been boredly quiet through the prince’s exchange, but he snapped to attention when Kamui addressed him. “Oh, Niles, I think I left your cloak back in the storage room closet. I’ll run get it – wait here for a minute.”

Both the cavalier and archer tensed as Kamui (carefully) jogged away, the clicks of his heels creating quite a racket against the tile floors.

After a moment, Silas decided to fill the awkward idling by eating a few bites of his meal, but Niles looming over him while he ate certainly wasn’t appetizing. What’s worse, Niles seemed totally oblivious to – or was just ignoring – Silas’ plight, but the blasé look Silas was giving him seemed to finally register with Niles; the archer smirked in return.

“Would you like a slice of cake?” Niles asked faux-sweetly, sliding he and Kamui’s yet-untouched dessert toward the cavalier. “It’s red velvet.”

“…Why?” Silas asked cautiously, leaning back in his seat as if the cake was going to lunge out at him.

“Because it’s the last slice, and I wouldn’t want it to ruin,” Niles replied. At Silas’ skeptical look, Niles subtly rolled his eye, leveling his gaze with the other man. “Think of it as a peace offering.”

“…Right,” Silas deadpanned. “What’s the catch? Did you poison it? Lick the frosting? Drop it on the floor and put it back on the plate?”

The gasp that escaped Niles then was one that even he would admit was too dramatic, but regardless, he placed a hand to his chest, a phony expression of appalment on his face.

“Frankly, I’m offended that you’d accuse me of tainting a perfectly good piece of cake,” Niles said, picking up the fork that he hadn’t used and offering it to Silas. “Just try it. I promise, it’s untampered.”

Silas raised a brow at Niles, but nonetheless steeled himself and decided that, if Niles really was trying to make peace between them, then surely he could make the effort by taking at least a single bite. He accepted the fork, sliced off a hunk, gave one last glace to a grinning Niles, and stuck the cake in his mouth.

Texture? Fine.

Taste? A little dry, but fine. Not poision-y, at least.

Consistency? Fine. Cakey, for sure.

Overall? Fine.

 _Maybe Niles really is trying to make peace_ , Silas thought, part of him still suspicious but part of him pleased to find that maybe Niles was tolerable after all.

“Good?” Niles asked, and Silas nodded briefly. “Truce?”

Another nod.

“Good,” Niles said in return, and it was then that he noticed Kamui emerge from the back brandishing Niles’ cloak, beckoning him to come along. Niles smiled at him instinctively, waving at him to let the prince know that he’d gotten the signal; Kamui turned on his heel then, approaching Leo at the lunch counter to tell him of his plans.

Meanwhile, Niles briefly turned back to Silas who had taken to eating a few more bites of cake, deciding that if it was in fact not laced with something that would kill him, he might as well enjoy the peace offering.

“You know…” Niles began, and Silas looked up to regard him, a smudge of white frosting present on the corner of his lip. Niles smirked, leaning over with a thumb poised at the cavalier’s lipline, casually wiping away the bit of frosting and bringing it to his own lips, sampling the taste. “You really do have a nice face. I think I’ll add you to the list.”

“W-what list?” Silas asked, face rivaling the color of Selena’s hair.

“The list of people to invite if Kamui and I ever decide to have a threesome,” Niles responded, turning to leave as he heard the prince call him over. He sent another lascivious smirk over his shoulder at Silas, waving briefly. “Enjoy your cake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NilesxKamuixSilas as an OT3? what a stupid ship I don't even like- *trips* *thousands of pictures of Niles/Kamui/Silas spill from pockets* fuck those aren’t mine I swear I’m just holding them for a friend I- *slips on a pile of pictures* fu ck no they’re not mine I hate that ship I just- *more pictures fall out as I fall to my knees, desperately trying to pick them up* hang on a sec jUst LISTEN
> 
> (honestly though guys I 1000% promise that it's Niles/Kamui endgame)
> 
> P.S. Niles absolutely has the biggest sweet tooth on the planet
> 
> P.P.S. special thanks to flailingpyro over on Tumblr for drawing me a super cute Niles that motivated me to finish writing this chapter AND to all my wonderful readers for bumping this fic up to the second highest-rated Fire Emblem: Fates fic on AO3! I really can't thank you guys enough for sticking with this story even though this certainly isn't the most well-written fic out there and I've been so slow with the updates;; I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. oh hey these other characters exist too I guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> backflips in   
> hello I'm still alive and just as unproductive as ever  
> on the bright side there's plot in this chapter  
> on the not-bright side there's barely any Niles/Kamui interaction but not every chapter can have those two dicking around if I ever want this story to go anywhere  
> I hope that there are still people enjoying this story because contrary to my upload schedule I really do appreciate you all for reading/commenting/kudos-ing and I really do enjoy writing this ;v;

“Do you even know where Lord Xander is at this hour?”

“He’s most likely at the smithy. He always goes there after a mission to re-forge his sword.”

“You think he’s still there? It’s been hours since we got back.”

“He’s… thorough.”

A crack of thunder booming overhead drowned out whatever Niles had planned to say; in lieu of responding, he simply huddled closer to Kamui, the duo sheltered underneath a parasol that Kamui had brought back from the storage closet in addition to Niles’ cloak.

They’d ducked out of the lunch hall shortly after Kamui had informed Leo of his foreboding feeling, to which the youngest prince had agreed to stay on guard and warn those who passed through. Though, Kamui highly doubted that anyone would be ‘passing through’ Leo’s station; the rain had gotten worse yet, the lunchroom was boarded, and the doors were locked. Nonetheless, it was comforting for Kamui to know that Silas was safe alongside Odin and the other few stragglers inside.

“Hey – watch your step,” Niles’ voice came, and a jerk on the prince’s wrist alerted him to a caltrop that he’d nearly tripped over – traps left from the invasion the night before, he surmised.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kamui murmured absently, more focused on simply beelining toward the smithy than where he was walking.

“Don’t worry so much,” Niles said, agitated by proxy, voice nearly overtaken by the raindrops pelting their parasol.

Even louder than the rain, however, was the sound of a hammer being violently brought down on a piece of reinforced steel, echoing boomingly in their direction despite the downpour.

“Sounds like we found him,” Kamui said, ushering Niles to follow in his footsteps a bit quicker trough the slosh.

As they approached the door to the smithy, the strikes became louder still, but alongside the banging was a sultry voice that both Kamui and Niles recognized instantly: Camilla. This gave Kamui pause, and he gestured for Niles to halt beside him. Thankfully, the smithy had an awning overhead where they could take shelter.

“You’ll pound the poor thing into dust if you keep at it like that, Xander…” her voice came, and Kamui took notice of the hint of strain on her usually dulcet tone.

“It’s still imperfect,” Xander replied gruffly, breathing heavy. “It must be flawless before I’ll let it rest.”

The sound of pronounced heel-clicks on concrete floor, and Camilla’s voice was nearer Xander. The clamor had also stopped for the moment.

“I know you’re worried, but needlessly chipping away at your sword won’t do much else besides sap your strength. You need to stop.”

A longsuffering sigh.

“You know as well as I of what this ominous gale means,” Xander said, somber.

“Of course I do,” Camilla replied. “That’s why we need you to be at your best, not worn out from grinding your blade’s edge to powder.”

Xander’s tone quietened then as he responded, prompting Kamui to lean in closer to the door, attempting to listen in. Niles, going along with the charade, leaned in closer as well, hand leveraged on Kamui’s waist to keep from toppling them over. Kamui jolted at the contact, throwing a questioning look back at the adventurer, to which Niles raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look,” Niles whispered coyly. “Mr. Eavesdropper.”

Kamui’s expression fell at that, instead giving Niles a thoroughly unimpressed look and elbowing him lightly in the side. Regathering himself, Kamui quickly refocused on the conversation being held inside the smithy, though it seemed he’d only tuned back in during the middle of the conversation.

“–don’t wish to burden him with more stress than he already carries,” Xander said, sounding weathered. “Worse still, I’ve piled more duties on Laslow and Peri than I feel is fair to them, and I’m sure that that ruffian retainer of Leo’s has been nearly smothered by the weight of responsibility ever since he was put up to being Kamui’s overseer. I need to be there to pull more weight rather than shove off tasks onto those who are not his devoted older brother who is supposed to be taking care of him.”

“Oh, Xander…” Camilla said softly after a moment, and it was then that Kamui decided would be a good time to approach.

Taking the cue, Niles pushed open the metal doors leading into the smithy to allow Kamui inside, and, expectedly, both Xander and Camilla turned sharply at the sound of a visitor. Kamui took note of the way that Xander’s severe eyes softened at the sight of him, as well as the tired look that overcame his features.

“Kamui,” Xander greeted, a smile gracing his lips. “What brings you here? And through this weather, no less?”

“Well–” Kamui began, but was abruptly cut off as he was mashed into Camilla’s chest.

“Aww, Darling, I’ll never get tired of seeing you in that outfit!” Camilla gushed, hugging her brother close. “You’re so cute~”

“Camilla, please…” Kamui said, muffled, weakly hugging her back but at the same time subtly pushing against her torso in hopes that she’d loosen her hold.

“Ah, sorry, dear~” Camilla said dotingly, fondly carding her hand through Kamui’s headdress-adorned hair while stepping back from her flustered sibling. “I just can’t get over how well you pull that off!”

Camilla giggled as a blush overtook Kamui’s features, at the same time casting her gaze at the man behind Kamui who seemed to be quietly simmering while drawing up their damp parasol; she grinned mischievously at his obvious jealousy.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Niles?” Camilla simpered, and she nearly laughed aloud at the sight of the adventurer freezing up.

“…Yes, Lady Camilla,” Niles intoned, deciding that it would be best to safely agree with her after a million different responses had ran through his mind, all with varying degrees of lewd implications.

She smirked wickedly at him, but her fun was cut short as Xander cleared his throat behind them.

“As you were saying, Kamui?” Xander said, leaving no room for any further banter.

“I-I, um, I actually came here to speak with you about something that’s been concerning me,” Kamui replied, stepping closer to Xander after sparing a glance back at Niles. “Though, I assume you may already have some idea of what I’ve come to tell you.”

“It’s certainly not a mystery,” Xander said slowly, and as if to accentuate his point, thunder cracked across the sky outside the building, rattling the various melding tools hung along the shop’s walls.

“Then are you as bothered by it as I am?” Kamui asked, throat bobbing as he swallowed down his nerves. His skin had become somewhat clammy from the sharp contrast of the cool rain outside to the heat radiating from the molten air of the smithy. Niles watched from behind Camilla, knowing his place, but wishing he could at least stand by Kamui’s side for support; he knew as well as anyone that the prince could handle himself in tense situations, but the pallid look of his skin and the tremors wracking his body weren’t just aftereffects of the rain.

 _He’s literally worrying himself sick_ , Niles inwardly observed.

“Certainly,” Xander replied tersely. “I’ve already notified my retainers of the possibility of another invasion this afternoon and had them prepare thusly. I truly hated to ask that they rearm themselves after already taking on extra responsibility this morning, but we can’t be too careful. This is the worst rainstorm we’ve had so far…”

“I’ve told Selena and Beruka to stay on alert as well,” Camilla said as she stepped forward once more, giving Kamui a gentle smile. “They’re standing watch at Lilith’s shrine. If there’s any disturbance, they’ll fly to me on Beruka’s wyvern immediately.”

Kamui’s shoulders relaxed at that, grateful to hear that both his siblings had been privy to what the weather may forewarn.

 _I should’ve trusted them from the start_ , he berated himself.

A thought came to Kamui after a moment, however, and he instantly regained his nervous countenance.

“Where’s Elise? Does she know about this?” Kamui asked.

“Yes, we made her aware as well,” Xander said. “Her retainers are with her, stationed outside her quarters. She was exhausted after taking over the healing this morning, so she’s resting in her chambers.”

“You really need to calm yourself, Dear,” Camilla said, placing a hand on Kamui’s shoulder. “We’ve got everything taken care of. We are all prepared for anything that may come after the storm.”

Kamui smiled at her reassurance, taking a calming breath to steady himself.

“Thank you Camilla, Xander,” Kamui said. “I trust you.”

It was obvious from the tenseness of his posture and the waver in his voice that he was still anxious, but the air of panic around him had dissipated, for the most part.

Both elder siblings regarded Kamui with a warm look, but Xander quickly turned his attention to the man looming in the darkness of the threshold who had been silent throughout their exchange.

“Niles,” Xander began, and the man in question perked up, coming to attention. “Your position as Kamui’s personal guard still stands.”

“Of course, milord,” Niles responded immediately, intending to bow, but he was halted with a princely hand raised toward him.

“I wasn’t finished,” Xander continued. “I’m sure you understand the gravity of the responsibility placed on you, as do I, so if the battle ends and no harm has come to the prince, you will be allowed a single request of the royal council. Be it a higher tier weapon, renovated chambers, tonics – it will be granted to you.”

“Your generosity is unparalleled, milord,” Niles replied. “Though I can assure you I will protect him at the cost of my own life, regardless of any accolades.”

“I will trust you as Leo trusts you, then,” Xander said slowly, regarding Niles with a calculating gaze.

Niles stooped into a bow, but at that moment, Selena busted through the doors of the smithy, and Beruka could be seen reining in her wyvern behind her. The doors opening also allowed for a clear view of the outside, which revealed that the rain had almost completely stopped.

“Lady Camilla!” Selena yelled, red hair plastered to her face from the humidity. “Lilith sensed that the barriers are being tampered with! She said there’s nearly twenty troops incoming through the front entrance!”

“Only twenty?” Kamui questioned, surprised. Niles had already moved to stand guard close to him, which served to calm him down after the initial shock of Selena’s entrance.

“Yes, but she said they’re the most powerful enemies that have ever threatened the barrier,” Selena continued, eyes wide with panic. “They’ve nearly broken through already!”

“Beruka, Selena, go continue standing guard of Lilith’s shrine!” Camilla was the first to speak up, at the same time joining with her two retainers. “I’ll come with you – drop me off at the wyvern roost so I can pick up Delilah*.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” Selena responded dutifully, the three of them mounting Beruka’s wyvern and beginning to take off into the air.

“I’ll meet back up with you soon!” Camilla called back to her two brothers.

“Alert the others!” Xander hollered back as he watched her ascend, grabbing up Siegfried and clenching the hilt tightly. He then zeroed in on Kamui who was standing near the front of the smithy, appearing to be conflicted about what action to take; Niles stood just a bit beyond him, stance defensive.

“Kamui,” Xander addressed, and the younger prince turned to him obediently. Xander breathed in deeply, releasing it tersely as he spoke. “We have to go to the front gate. I would never ask that you needlessly put yourself in danger, but the Dragon Veins located there will only respond to us and it seems likely that we’ll need their assistance if the troops are as dangerous as Lilith predicts.”

“Right,” Kamui affirmed with a renewed resolve, turning to Niles and grabbing the adventurer’s hand without a second thought. “Let’s go.”

The surprise on Xander’s face was rivaled only by Niles’ own, but it was quick to vanish as the crown prince shook it off and followed behind his younger sibling toward the entrance to their fort.

The rain had indeed stopped, leaving a murky grey sky and a smothering humidity to the air in its aftermath. Contrasting to the looming feeling of dread, petrichor emanated from the mud blanketing the castle grounds as they sloshed through it to their destination.

“Xander, Kamui, Niles, this way!” a voice called out when the trio approached. They quickly identified it as Leo who had already stationed he, Odin, Silas and Nyx on the far left edge of the entrance, a wide berth between them and the active site.

“Leo, you’ve already prepared?” Xander asked when they reconvened. “Have you alerted Elise?”

The youngest prince nodded. “I had them ready to go as soon as the rain began to slacken. And yes, Arthur and Effie have her sheltered close by. She’s been readied with her staff in case of emergency,” Leo replied, looking down at Xander from where he was mounted on his steed.

“Thank goodness,” Xander muttered, clenching his teeth when a tremor suddenly shook the ground underfoot.

“What was that?!” Odin asked, making sure that Nyx was close by his side.

“The barrier is being compromised,” Xander said. “It won’t be long until they’ve completely broken through.”

Another tremor, and the sound of wingbeats approached.

“Everyone is ready to go,” Camilla said when she was close enough to be heard over the powerful wind being generated beneath her wyvern.

“Excellent. Ready yourselves!” Xander barked.

The ground began shaking more vigorously than before, now coming in waves rather than shocks. The air shifted, and an unidentifiable weight constricted around the battalion, signaling that the pressure holding up the barrier was weakening.

Niles looked to Kamui who was standing anxiously beside him, cerise gaze transfixed to the area where the troops were predicted to break through. Niles could still feel the warmness of Kamui’s palm settled in his own from where he hadn’t let go after dragging Niles to the battle site, not to mention the iron grip Kamui had on him; Niles wouldn’t be surprised if the prince was leaving permanent crescent-shaped indentations on his knuckles. Niles allowed it, however, and returned the grip, though less forceful; Kamui flinched at the realization that he was most likely cutting off circulation, and he slackened his hold, if only slightly.

Not a moment later, it finally seemed as though the barrier had had all it could take; light surged along the border, and an ominous mist began to leak through the warp in the active site. It didn’t take long for the slow trickle to become a billowing fog, nearly overtaking the army’s line of sight. The pressure was overwhelming, and the rumbling of the ground grew worse as did the warp forming before them.

“Stand strong! Alert as soon as you spot an enemy!” Xander ordered, voice booming over the sound of the sheer amount of energy being exerted against the ethereal wall.

It broke with a clap of thunder; everyone shielded their eyes from the burst of wind that harkened the march of whatever force had come to attack them. It was nearly overwhelming, the force with which the barrier collapsed, but Niles had the faculties to swerve in front of Kamui, shielding him from the blast.

“I see someone!” Kamui heard a voice – Charlotte, he recognized – call after a moment, accompanied with frenzied shouts of ‘where?!’ and ‘is everyone okay?!’

The gale behind the initial breakthrough had subsided enough that Kamui felt safe to step out a bit from behind Niles, and he squinted through the mist that was still hovering around the gate.

It took him a moment, but his eyes soon locked on what was seemingly a singular invader stepping through the shroud; the shock of wild brown hair, bright red armor, and electricity crackling around a blade secured at a muscular torso made the identity of the ‘invader’ unmistakable.

Fully stepping out from behind Niles, Kamui’s eyes widened.

“Ryoma?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh I love the Nohr family so so much you guys (even if I still have yet to give Elise a single line of dialogue I promise I love her and she will come in later)
> 
> Like Leo is so beautiful and amazing and such an adorable younger brother and Xander is so beautiful and amazing and such a sweet older brother and Camilla is beautiful and amazing and such a great older sister and Elise is so beautiful and amazing and such an awesome younger sister
> 
> Anyway, plot I guess
> 
> (it's ya boy Ryoma)
> 
> *I wanted to give a name to Camilla's wyvern and the name Delilah really stuck out to me


	12. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NILES!!
> 
> I can't believe I've been writing this story for over a year - this is the second chapter that I've posted on Niles' birthday. (And at the rate I'm writing this there'll probably be many more to come.)
> 
> This chapter sets the record for the least amount of times Niles' name is mentioned even though I wrote this chapter specifically to be posted on his birthday but at least it's something to get the wheels turning again so that I'll hopefully maybe write the chapters quicker possibly
> 
> Not a super exciting chapter, but a necessary one to move the plot along. Enjoy!

Kamui couldn’t believe his eyes – no one could, for that matter.

Before the group, shrouded in dissipating fog and electricity crackling around him, stood Ryoma, crown prince of Hoshido. No one moved, no one breathed, no one even spoke for what seemed like an eternity until Xander was apparently the first able to recover from the shock.

“Prince Ryoma!” he addressed, and the sound of his voice coupled with his steed’s hooves bounding forward sliced through the deafening silence. Kamui shrunk back against Niles at the sheer vehemence with which Xander spat out the rival prince’s name. “How dastardly of you to invade us in our own sanctum! Have you brought your spiteful siblings in tow?”

Ryoma hadn’t even flinched at Xander’s words, simply regarding him with a quiet, steady gaze. A beat of stillness, and then Kamui watched as it seemed Ryoma made to take a step forward, but the immediate sound of weapons being hoisted and armor shifting into battle stances – all from behind and around Kamui – halted him.

“...I haven’t come to oppose you, Prince Xander,” Ryoma said finally, eyes darting between each of Kamui’s units as they were all poised to strike at a moment’s notice. Ryoma’s tone was low and solemn, even though Kamui could certainly detect the disdain edging each of his words. “And... no, for now... I am alone.”

“How could I possibly take your word?” Xander growled, urging his steed, and a few hoofbeats lead Xander to extend his sword directly into Ryoma’s face. Again, Hoshido’s prince didn’t move a muscle. “Turn around and leave this instant or I’ll strike you down where you stand.”

“I don’t expect you to believe me right away, I simply ask that you listen to me–“

“ _Listen to you?_ I’ve demonstrated boundless restraint by allowing you to speak at all,” Xander said, seething; the tension around the two powerhouses was suffocating. Finally reacting to Xander’s threat, Ryoma glared up at the prince, shoulders rising as he took a steadying breath.

“Please, I implore you,” Ryoma began, maintaining eye contact with Nohr’s royal as he slowly lowered himself down on one knee before him. His form was rigid, jaw set and face pallid. “I just ask that you hear me out for a moment. You have my word, for what it’s worth to you, that this is no trick.”

Xander’s tense posture had relaxed since Ryoma had kneeled, and he further loosened upon hearing the other prince’s sincere plea. His sword lowered by his side, and it seemed as though everyone had stopped breathing as they watched Xander let out an audible huff, dismounting his horse, all the while keeping a fierce eye on Ryoma.

“What do you have to discuss with me?” Xander asked sternly, but the hostile edge to his tone had dulled. His gaze narrowed, however, as a thought seemed to strike him. “We aren’t handing Kamui over to you.”

“...That’s... not what I’ve come to speak with you about,” Ryoma said, his gaze wandering as he seemed to search the crowd for the face of his aforementioned brother for a moment, but as the young prince was still shielded behind Niles, he couldn’t quite place him. Refocusing on Xander, Ryoma continued, “I’ve come to warn you. And to... ask for your cooperation.”

“Warn us?” Xander parroted.

“To be brief, there is a common enemy that is becoming a burgeoning threat to both our kingdoms. I assume you and yours have faced off against adversaries from the Bottomless Canyon?”

“Yes, we have, but the battles have been nothing of note. They were dispatched of quickly and easily with no issues.”

“That’s likely because you’re present in this realm,” Ryoma said, casting his eyes around the ethereal plane but ultimately resettling on the prince who, even still, seemed poised to strike at a moment’s notice. “The barrier around this place has been able to keep out the hoards, and it’s weakening them, even still. But they’re growing stronger and greater in number on the surface.”

“Lilith has spoken nothing of the barrier being compromised,” Xander retorted.

“Lilith – the creator of this place, I assume? – has most likely been unable to sense them. No one has. Even our most vigilant lookouts haven’t been able to preempt their attacks,” Ryoma continued. “They move like shadows, and they’ve been raiding our kingdom more and more often lately with us being powerless to stop them, so overwhelming are their numbers. We have no doubt that they won’t stop until they’ve completely overtaken our land, and we’ve strong reason to believe that they’ll move on to the Nohrian stronghold once they’ve succeeded.”

Hush fell over the crowd, and even from the position Kamui was standing, he could tell from the sincere look in Ryoma’s eyes that this wasn’t an elaborate assault plan; Ryoma was genuinely concerned, and his consternation transferred to everybody surrounding him.

“...So,” Xander began, slowly, calculatingly, “you’ve come to me in hopes that I’ll agree to help save your kingdom?”

“I’ve come to you in hopes that _we’ll_ agree to help save _both_ our kingdoms,” Ryoma said emphatically, and his eyes darted between Nohr’s crown prince and the throng of people behind him briefly. Sighing, Ryoma settled his gaze at Xander’s dust-covered boots. “...Together.”

“I see,” Xander said, shoulders sagging with lost tension. All was quiet once more, everyone waiting with bated breath for what would transpire between the two towering princes next. That was, until Kamui – who had since yet been accepting of and thankful for Niles’ protection – decided to step forward, pushing past a surprised Niles as he went.

“I think we should help him, Xander,” Kamui said as he approached – Niles shadowing him – and if the situation weren’t so dire, he would’ve chuckled at the fact that Xander actually flinched. Coming to stand beside his brother, he leveled Xander with a sure look.

Xander, shock arching his brow at his brother’s sudden appearance, began to protest, but before he could get a word in, an equally imposing voice met their ears.

“Kamui?!” Ryoma bellowed, and the absolute disbelief that showed through on his face coupled with the hint of red crawling up over his cheeks was a marvel. He rose from where he had still been kneeling, but didn’t move toward the two Nohrian princes any further. “What have they done to you?!”

Kamui flinched at the disdainful tone, wishing he’d been more tactful about revealing his situation so soon, especially during such a delicate negotiation.

“Ryoma, I can explain later, but for now, we need to focus on the matter at hand,” Kamui said with finality. He swallowed down the shame stemming from being on display to his brother in full maid attire after so long at odds, taking a deep breath. “I want to help you. What do we need to do?”

“Kamui, are you sure? It’s possible that this is all an elaborate ploy to capture you and take you back to Hoshido,” Xander finally spoke up, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Kamui nodded sternly in reply, offering a small smile to Xander as he moved from his grip, turning and facing Ryoma fully.

Ryoma, still apparently shell-shocked from the unprecedented debut and, perhaps, that his offer for a temporary truce was being accepted, simply opened and closed his mouth a few times, blinking as he regathered his composure.

“Ah, um, well, I had considered asking that you allow me to take up residence with you here until we were able to devise a plan to infiltrate the Bottomless Canyon,” Ryoma said, words stilted. Unable to meet Kamui’s eyes, this time he focused on his own shoes as he continued, his tone more solemn. “Of course, I would request that my siblings and their retainers be allowed to reside here, as well,” Ryoma paused, swallowed, looked up and back down, continued, “I realize that this is a lot to ask, but I can’t leave them behind. They’ve already seen so much death and destruction, and they won’t be able to fend off the enemies alone, and I can’t... I can’t leave them.”

“Ryoma... I’m so sorry,” Kamui said, waveringly. “You and your people have had to go through so much. We’ve only gotten glimpses of the plight from our travels; I can’t imagine dealing with those monsters daily."

“It’s been... harrowing,” Ryoma said, eyes meeting Kamui’s at last. “And I would not have come to you if I didn’t believe that it was in the best interest of both of our kingdoms to work together against them. We need your support.”

“Then you have it, I suppose,” Xander spoke up, regarding Ryoma with far less warmth and sympathy than Kamui. “As long as your intentions are clearly in both Hoshido’s _and_ Nohr’s best interests. We will leave you at the mercy of the scourge of the Bottomless Canyon at the first sign of subterfuge.”

“Understood,” Ryoma said, and he took a steadying breath of relief. “I truly appreciate your cooperation.”

“Yes, well,” Xander dismissed, letting his eyes roam to survey the empty land around them. “We should be able to have barracks set up for you and your company by the end of the day. Speaking of which... I suppose your entourage will be accommodating as well?”

“Yes,” Ryoma said. “I’ve told them that they’re to keep to themselves and be civil if our negotiations went over well and we were allowed to stay here.”

“Good,” Xander said. “We’ll notify Lilith and let her know to thin out the barrier while your siblings and retainers pass through. Meanwhile, I ask that you gather up all of your companions’ weapons and place them at Lilith’s sanctuary. They’ll be kept safe, I just don’t want any temptations present that may cause one of you to renege on our agreement, you understand.”

“...Yes, of course,” Ryoma said bitterly. “I’ll see to it.”

“Then please make yourself at home here,” Xander said sardonically, eyes sharp. “For now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And while Xander and Ryoma were talking about some boring irrelevant shit, Niles and Kamui were kissing a whole bunch and touching all over each other and it was pretty hot."
> 
> okay there's the obligatory zerokamu happy birthday Niles
> 
> OH AND THERE YOU GO the Hoshibros (+sisters) are going to be joining in on the fun and games and dicks, stay tuned


	13. Niles and Kamui are both huge saps for each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> golly its almost been a year since I updated this last
> 
> lots of things have changed since then but my unconditional love for zerokamu hasn't, so here's the next chapter!
> 
> apologies for the short length, but hopefully you enjoy it, my sweet dudes and dudettes

Since Hoshido’s portmanteau into the Nohrian army, things had been… a bit tense, to say the least.

While not explicitly instructed to do so, most everyone travelled in pairs wherever they went, they were armed at all times, and there were night and day shifts guarding Lilith’s domain where the weapons were kept.

Xander had allowed them to do as they please; he hadn’t encouraged the hostility, but he was silently proud that his army was so cautious and ready to defend themselves and their comrades, even if the threat seemed – for the most part – virtually nonexistent. Of course, Xander would never underestimate the Hoshidans – they were crafty, smart, and powerful, loath as he was to admit it. Not that the Nohrians were any lesser by comparison, but they were naturally lower on the defensive while in their own realm, so Xander was thankful to see that their lax was acknowledged and accounted for.

However, not every member of the army was so on guard. Elise had warmed up to Sakura and Hinoka almost immediately, excited at the prospect of more potential girl friends around her own age, and the two Hoshidan sisters hadn’t taken long to respond in kind, so genuine and amicable was she. They had been seen sharing a lunch table, smiling and trading stories amongst their group within a mere day of joining the Nohrian ranks.

Similarly, Kaze had been thankful to reconvene with his former Hoshidan comrades, and though they were wary initially, it didn’t take long before he, Saizo, and Kagero were having an equally good time together as the royal sisters, perhaps without quite as much conversation.

Naturally, though, there were those who didn’t seem like they would relax bar being ambushed with tranquilizer darts; Takumi, namely, was hardly ever seen out and about around the castle grounds, and if he was, he was glued to Ryoma’s side, posture rigid and expression deadly. He may not have his signature Fujin Yumi, but the look on his face alone was enough to take down an army.

As for everyone else, pleasantries were exchanged, no squabbles broke out, and for the most part, things were peaceful between the groups, much to Kamui’s gratitude. Even Xander had admitted to him – for his ears alone, of course – that he thought Kamui had made a sound decision.

Most surprising of all, however, was Niles’ reaction.

Kamui had thought that Niles would be elated, what with all the new people to poke and prod at, so many unfamiliar with his unique way of getting to know others, if you could brand it such.

But, if Takumi was glued to Ryoma’s side, Niles was attached at Kamui’s hip.

Niles would hardly ever let the prince out of his sight; he would escort Kamui wherever he went, always make sure to walk behind him, keep a stern eye on anyone who would address Kamui, and greet Kamui every morning when he would exit his treehouse.

Kamui had even come to find out that Niles had been bedding down on the surrounding edge of the prince’s quarters after one night he’d gotten the notion to peek outside his window, spotting the man sitting on the edge of the porch, blanket draped around himself and staring up at the moon. Kamui wanted to go out and confront him then and there, but Niles seemed to be so lost in thought, so absolutely still and serene, Kamui thought it would’ve been inconsiderate to barge out and disturb him.

So, he had retired to his chambers and gone to sleep, writing it off as Niles simply being Niles. Maybe he’d heard a noise around Kamui’s room and had come to make sure nothing was wrong, or maybe Kamui’s porch was at an ideal elevation to watch the moon from that night. Either way, Kamui decided it was probably just a one-time thing, and drifted off to sleep.

Except the next night, Niles was back.

More so than even simply being there, Kamui thought it odd that he never saw the adventurer sleeping; the prince was prone to fitful nights, so he had woken up at many different hours, only to find Niles still outside each time, sitting in various positions, but always awake and always with a deeply contemplative expression, lit up by the moon.

Several times, Kamui wanted to go out and ask him what he was doing there, or at least offer him another blanket. The nights were cold, and with only one sheet to cover himself, Kamui thought it a miracle that Niles hadn’t caught death.

Concern for Niles found Kamui’s fingers brushing his door handle, but he pulled them back. He didn’t want Niles to think Kamui had been spying on him… or something. Truly, Kamui couldn’t rationalize even to himself why it was taking such a summoning of will to go out and talk to Niles. After all, they’ve grown close – emotionally, mentally, _physically_ – since their initial encounter, and Kamui should feel confident that Niles would appreciate the company.

What was most likely holding him back was the fact that Niles seemed so secretive about this. The day after he’d first seen Niles outside his home and they’d gotten together for lunch – as was their only time together since the Hoshidans had joined their group – he’d dropped subtle hints about not being able to sleep, about how pretty the moon had been that night, about how restless he was, hoping for Niles to pick up what he was getting at. But after only offering a small condolence and a token _“I bet I could help you sleep~”_ , Kamui dropped it altogether.

He didn’t have much of a chance after that point to pursue it, because on top of being put to extra work by Leo due to all of the extra chores brought on by so many new recruits, Niles had also been uncharacteristically quiet during the few times he and Kamui had been able to see each other.

The prince chalked it up to his lack of sleep weighing him down. Not to mention, Kamui had taken notice of the deep circles under Niles’ eyes, no doubt also due to his mysterious and consecutive late hours. The man was slowly but surely exhausting himself.

That thought alone was enough to finally make Kamui’s grip tighten on the handle, turning it and pushing open his door with a hardy shove.

He realized that he probably hadn’t needed to be so forceful when, immediately, he saw Niles jump to attention, throwing his cover to the side and looking ready for a fight, swaying minutely before catching his balance. When Niles realized what was going on, his posture instantly relaxed, and the bleariness overcame his features once more.

“…Kamui,” Niles said slowly, and Kamui was happy, however briefly, that his name – sans title – seemed to flow so naturally off Niles’ tongue now. “Apologies. Did I wake you?”

Kamui gave him an odd look, a bit off put by the formality.

“No, I’ve been awake for a while,” Kamui responded, making his way over to Niles. Niles regarded Kamui tiredly but warmly, and the prince felt his heart ache to see him so weak. Closing in, Kamui wrapped his arms around Niles tightly, pressing his face into Niles’ chest and breathing in the scent that he’d been missing over the past few days. Unsurprisingly, the bonfire smell had dulled since Niles had been spending his nights on the tree’s perch, and lighting a fire on the wooden structure of Kamui’s porch probably wouldn’t be the smartest idea. “…And it seems like you have been, too.”

Niles was still for a moment, but all at once, he unraveled, returning the embrace, laying his head on top of the prince’s and nearly melting into his hold. Kamui was momentarily knock-kneed trying to keep from toppling them both, but he leveled out after a moment and smiled as he felt the hug reciprocated.

“Yes,” Niles replied, voice gravelly. “But that’s nothing new for me. I’m awake far more often than I’m asleep.”

“Mhm,” Kamui hummed, rubbing Niles’ back gently. “But not to the point where you look like you’re about to keel over any second. Why have you been staying up for so long these past nights?”

“I haven’t,” Niles said. “No more than usual.”

“Niles…” Kamui said with a sigh, pushing back slightly – Niles obviously didn’t want to let go, but finally he let his arms fall limp to his sides. Kamui’s bright red eyes met Niles’ dull blue. “I really do dislike it when you lie to me.”

Niles furrowed his brow, turning his gaze away.

“I’m… not lying.”

“Yes, you are,” Kamui enforced, sandwiching Niles’ face between his hands and bringing the adventurer’s attention back to him. “I know you’ve been sitting outside my room all night for the past two nights, not sleeping a wink.” At that, Niles deflated, heaving a sigh of his own. Kamui kept his worried look trained on Niles, knowing that Niles realized he wasn’t getting out of this. He loosened his grip on the other man’s face, softening his expression. “Now, would you please tell me why you’re not sleeping? _Please_?”

Niles gazed at the prince for a moment, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“You’ll be mad at me if I tell you,” Niles said finally, and it was Kamui’s turn to look miffed.

“I’m already mad at you,” Kamui said jokingly, tapping Niles’ chest to make his point. “So you’ve got nothing to lose.”

Niles chuckled heartily – a sound Kamui had really missed over the past few days that they’d seen so little of each other. He was glad that at least whatever was keeping Niles up at night wasn’t making him depressed, it seemed.

“I’m just worried about you,” Niles admitted vaguely, locking eyes with Kamui. He waited for Niles to continue, but when he offered nothing else, Kamui pouted.

“ _You’re_ worried about _me_? _I’m_ worried about _you_. You need to take better care of yourself,” Kamui said, moving his thumb to gently swipe along the deep purple underneath the eye that wasn’t covered by Niles’ eyepatch.

Niles caught Kamui’s hand, turning his face to press a warm kiss to the prince’s open palm. Kamui could feel his face heat in response, contrary to the cold air circulating around the pair.

“ _I’m_ not the prince of a nation,” Niles said, squeezing Kamui’s hand that he held in his calloused own.

“Right, _you’re_ the man who is supposed to be keeping watch over me _during battles_ ,” Kamui chided, returning Niles’ grip with a fond smile. His eyes and voice softened as he spoke. “But you’re also someone that I really care about. And I hate seeing people I really care about suffer because they’re too stubborn to sleep.

Kamui had never been more thankful for the moon as he was in that moment, as its light allowed him to see the blush bloom over Niles’ face. It was an expression that was rare on the adventurer, but one that suited him. Then again, in Kamui’s eyes, every expression suited Niles except the tired, bedraggled one that he’d had recently.

“I’m not being stubborn,” Niles responded, and at the skeptical look Kamui gave him in return, Niles reneged. “Okay, I am being stubborn, but not because I want to worry you.”

“Then why _have_ you been staying up all night?” Kamui asked, eyes boring in to Niles’.

Niles regarded him for a moment, seeming to mull over exactly what he wanted to say until, all at once, Niles pushed forward, backing Kamui up against the wall of the treehouse. Kamui’s back hit the cold wood at the same time as the heat of Niles’ body enveloped him, warming him up faster than any fire would.

Niles joined their lips together fiercely before Kamui could get a word in, and the prince instinctually gripped the front of Niles’ shirt, struggling to keep his mind from fogging over as quickly as was always its wont when Niles kissed him. He couldn’t, however, keep a noise of surprise and unfettered desire from escaping him, which allowed Niles to deepen the kiss without interruption.

“Because I’m doing my duty,” Niles replied seamlessly as soon as they parted, and Kamui could only barely get his mind back on the track of their previous conversation. Niles gripped Kamui’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, and when Kamui met Niles’ eye again, he seemed more awake than he had in days. “As your bodyguard, and as your lover.”

“W-what do you mean?” Kamui asked, still kiss-addled. “I already told you – you only need to keep watch over me when we’re in battle.”

Niles waned a bit, regarding Kamui with a lidded expression.

“That’s exactly why I didn’t want to tell you about this,” Niles said. “Because I didn’t want you to think that I thought you were too weak to take care of yourself outside of battle. Look, I know you’re strong, but the Hoshidans are strong, too, even without their weapons. If they came up with some kind of kidnapping scheme and stole you away in the night, or even just hurt you in some way… I don’t know what I’d do with myself.” Niles sighed, dropping his hands and moving back from where he was towering over Kamui, if only slightly. “I just… I just want to keep you safe, because I really care about you, too.”

Kamui could feel his heart leap into his throat, and he was briefly afraid that if he spoke in that moment, his voice would crack. The look on Niles’ face was so sincere, he could hardly believe that this was the same man who threw around innuendos for sport.

“You… you do a perfectly good job of protecting me, Niles,” Kamui said finally, finding his words. “Honestly, the Hoshidans are good people. Ryoma, Hinoka, Sakura… even Takumi, they all just wanted me back because they’re my family. I don’t approve of their methods, of course, and I wish that things hadn’t been so rough to get to this point, but what I’m saying is – I really don’t think you have to be so worried, as much as I appreciate you looking out for me.” Kamui smiled, once again cupping Niles’ cheek. “I know that I’m not as strong as I was before. I know that I need your help, and I know you’re there to give it to me if and when I need it. But you won’t be much good to me if you’re too tired to stand on your own two feet, you know.”

“…I know,” Niles relented, heaving another sigh. “But I wasn’t able to sleep, even before deciding to camp out here. I was too anxious to, so I decided that I might as well put my insomnia to good use and stand guard outside your door.”

“I wish I could promise you that I’d be okay and you’d just believe me,” Kamui said, chuckling despite himself.

“I wish that, too,” Niles said, yawning widely. “I really am exhausted. I just can’t go to sleep, no matter what I do.”

“…Then,” Kamui began after a beat of silence, a shy lilt to his voice that immediately caught Niles’ attention. Kamui’s face had grown red, and his eyes were no longer meeting the taller man’s. “Maybe… maybe you should try sleeping with me…”

A pause.

“I mean in the same bed as me!” Kamui amended, his face flushed up to his ears as Niles grinned. “Maybe you should sleep in the same bed as me! That way, um, you know, y-you’d be right there with me, so you’d be sure that I was okay, and maybe if you had a proper bed, you’d be able to go to sleep!”

“My, my, Kamui,” Niles started, and the mischievous undertone to his voice that had been absent throughout their conversation was back with a vengeance. “To invite me into your bed so late at night… how scandalous. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, considering we’ve already had se–“

“Niles!” Kamui blurted as he covered Niles’ mouth with his hands, but he was mindful not to be too loud considering it was, indeed, very late. “Do you want to sleep in my bed, or not?”

Wordlessly – though not by his own virtue – Niles nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% sure how many more chapters this story will have, but I do know how I want it to end, so however long it takes me to get there, I hope you'll all stick with me! I know that my upload schedule is ridiculous, but I promise that I won't abandon this.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. hold my hand and never let go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1000+ Kudos... geez, I don't even know what to say. thank you all so much?? I'm so grateful that this (totally self-indulgent) fic I started 3 years ago managed to get so much attention? I've gotten so many sweet comments & I've had so much fun writing this story - which I'll hopefully finish before Niles' next birthday... :^)
> 
> so, here's another tiny chapter of Niles & Kamui sweetness to celebrate Niles' birthday! hope you enjoy!

“I’m a little disappointed that I don’t get to see you in your maid ensemble tonight, but I must say, this is a good look for you, too,” Niles said, appraising Kamui appreciatively; as it was, the prince was dressed in his normal bedtime attire, which consisted of one of Xander’s hand-me-down white button-up dress shirts, black shorts that hid underneath the hem, and not much else. It was comfortable, fit him down just past his knees, and was a familiar habit of his that he’d never quite gotten over and Xander had never been able to say no to.

“What happened to you being too tired to stand?” Kamui rebutted, but even while he said that, he could plainly see that Niles’ usual energy was nowhere to be found. Not to mention, now that they’d moved into the light of his room, it was even easier for him to see the stark dark circles underneath Niles’ eyes, and the poor posture he had from his body struggling to keep itself upright.

“I’m never too tired to ruffle your feathers. You know that,” Niles said as he removed his shoes at the doorway, but even his teasing lacked an edge. He simply stood in the threshold, looking a bit lost and a lot exhausted.

“Right,” Kamui said noncommittally, looking almost as lost as Niles did even though he was in the comfort of his own room. Niles remained at the boundary as Kamui stood in the middle, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “So, um, are you… I mean, you can have the bed, since you haven’t had a comfortable place to sleep for a while… um, I’ve got a roll-out that I can use for tonight, I don’t mind.”

When Kamui turned his eyes up to look at Niles, the adventurer looked positively drained, and Kamui assumed it must be because Niles was approximately five seconds away from passing out where he stood. However, when Niles all at once approached him, grabbed his hand, and drug them both toward the prince’s bed, Kamui realized that the look on Niles’ face was apparently ‘exasperation.’

“You’re impossible, Kamui,” Niles said gravelly, though his tone was fond. “After all we’ve done together, you still won’t officially invite me into your bed?”

“N-no, I just thought–“

“No matter how tired I am, there’s no way I’d be able to sleep a wink without you in this bed with me tonight,” Niles said with finality, slipping under the sheets and guiding Kamui to do the same. Kamui, rambling flustered nonsense all the while, followed along lamely.

Once they settled, Kamui found himself with his back pressed against Niles’ chest, so close together that he could practically feel the adventurer’s heartbeat. Kamui’s first thought was that it was _warm_ , especially with Niles’ arm tossed over his torso and the sheets pulled up over them both, keeping their combined heat contained.

Kamui swallowed thickly, feeling simultaneously awkward since Niles hadn’t said anything besides heaving a sigh once they’d laid down, and strangely more content than he could remember himself ever feeling before. Niles must’ve fallen asleep immediately, Kamui decided, because the adventurer’s breathing evened out almost as soon as they’d both stilled.

His heart flipped and his stomach filled with butterflies as he felt the gentle breathing on his neck, the hard chest pressed against his back, the strong arm wrapped around his torso, the fingers slipping through the buttons of his shirt–

_Wait._

Kamui abandoned the relaxed stupor he was in almost as soon as he had entered it, and his heart that was previously doing somersaults in his chest now vaulted into his throat.

_I thought he was asleep already!_

Apparently not, as the hand bypassed the buttons entirely and was now taking it upon itself to have free reign over the entirety of Kamui’s torso, tracing gentle circles around his abdomen. Even though the touches weren’t entirely sexual, Kamui felt as though every inch of him that Niles touched was setting him on fire from the inside out. The warmth that had been pleasant and comfortable before was now almost stifling.

They hadn’t been _this_ intimate since their rendezvous in the infirmary, though not for the lack of a desire to be. There’d been so much political negotiating and high tensions for the past two days, neither Kamui nor Niles had been able to have a moment together, and certainly not to the extent to initiate anything. In addition to the teasing and the contact and everything else about Niles, embarrassing as it was to admit, Kamui had missed _this_.

“Niles…” Kamui breathed out, finally finding his voice. He didn’t even really know what he was calling out for; he didn’t particularly want Niles to stop, but the whole point of the man joining him in his room – and his bed – was so that the adventurer could get a good night’s rest, which would decidedly _not_ be the case for either of them if this were to continue.

Despite that…

Kamui jolted when he felt the telltale signs of arousal flush against his lower back. It seemed that that was the only part of Niles that wasn’t completely exhausted – that, or whatever sliver of energy Niles had left was all channeling downward. Kamui would’ve been impressed that Niles had a libido to surpass even his sleep-addled state, but considering Kamui was also reacting as if he’d been shoveling aphrodisiacs into his system for the past hour, he decided it was probably just because they were finally in such close quarters again after a few days of going completely without.

At least, he hoped that Niles was as desperate as he was. Was that shameful of him? He didn’t think so, especially with the arousal shrouding his mind and the calloused hands ghosting along his chest and the persistent hardness behind him telling him that all of this was just built up from years of being touch-starved and his knowledge of sexuality beginning and ending with whatever Xander would prattle out whenever Kamui came to him with questions about what was going on ‘down there.’ And, damn it, he liked Niles, he really _really_ liked Niles, and Niles really really liked him. There was no reason to be ashamed. There was no reason to be prude. There was no reason to deny himself this.

Except, there _was_ , just not because of some princely agenda. He had to take into consideration that Niles would be dead on his feet tomorrow if Kamui let this go on, which may lead to _Kamui_ being dead on his feet if Niles wasn’t conscious enough to protect him. He had to stop this.

“…Kamui…” Niles whispered into his hair, and Kamui almost cried.

The hand that was roaming his abdomen wandered down, but just as the tips of Niles’ fingers brushed the hem of his shorts, Kamui grabbed them with his own, halting the movement in its tracks.

“Niles, we… we’ve got to stop,” Kamui whispered, and he flushed at how debauched his voice sounded. “It’s not that… I don’t want to… but you… you really need some sleep…”

No verbal response, but Niles’ hand had stilled.

_Ah, he must be disappointed._

“I-I’m sorry, but this is for the best…” Kamui said, trying to convince himself as much as he was Niles.

Nothing, only Niles’ breathing.

Which sounded… oddly even. Like, _asleep_ even.

“…Niles?” Kamui whispered, a little quieter this time. He swallowed thickly, twisting his upper body as minutely as he could muster while still getting a good look at Niles’ face. Kamui blanched.

 _He_ is _asleep!_

Just then, the hand that had stilled near Kamui’s waistband started moving again, ghosting along Kamui’s hips, and it hit him then that Niles had probably been asleep this whole time. That, or Niles was an even better actor than Kamui had given him credit for.

_At least he’s finally resting…_

Conscious or not, the stroking had to stop. Kamui was already hard enough for it to be uncomfortable for him to try to go to sleep, but he certainly didn’t want to be busting one while Niles was snoozing away next to him. He’d never hear the end of it if Niles found him like that.

Gently as he could, Kamui gripped Niles’ hand once again, weaving their fingers together and bringing their joined hands to rest near his heart. He could feel his own pounding pulse, contrast to the steady rhythm of the adventurer’s heart behind him.

Niles was still then, breathing as calm as he had been since they’d laid down together.

The sensation of wholeness washed over him again as the quiet of the night soothed his frantic heartbeat, and a renewed feeling of adoration filled him for the man who was holding him as if he were something precious.

Squeezing the hand laced in his own, Kamui smiled, letting his eyes slip closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise things will happen in the next few chapters, I've just had to set up a few plot points so that the more important things can happen in the future (also I love writing this sickeningly sweet junk)
> 
> thanks again to everyone who has stuck with this fic for 3 years! see you next time Niles has a birthday :^)

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> That's what you get for being so gosh dang pretty Kamui like honestly I didn't even change his appearance in my Conquest run because his default look is A+
> 
> Also I used everyone's English name except Kamui's because??? Do I even need to explain his name is fucking corn
> 
> P.S. I'm going to be totally honest with you guys I only know approximately 2.5 things about reclassing in Fates because I've only used Master Seals on Kamui and Niles in my playthrough so please don't criticize my ignorance on that this is all for fun and games and dicks okay


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